Leaders: A Lesson in Delegation

So, you’re a leader. As a leader, you probably oversee a project, team, or maybe an entire domain. That’s a lot of responsibility, right? But here's the thing about leading: you don’t have to do it all on your own! In fact, you are expected not to do everything on your own. There is no I in team after all. This is where delegation comes into play.

Delegation is the act of assigning tasks to others. It’s, in so few words, sharing the workload. And the more you can delegate, the more you can get done. That’s what makes our ecosystem (learn about it here) thrive.

You’ll see examples of delegation all across 7 Cups. A good example is our Academy. We have a Dean. The Dean delegates to the Ambassadors. The Ambassadors delegate to the Mentors, and the Mentors all have different roles they fulfill to ensure students progress from trainees to graduates.

Another advantage to delegation is teaching.

You are probably a Mentor Leader reading this right now. Maybe you are in charge of a set of people and a project but you want to maybe focus on other things.

But in order to delegate successfully, you need to teach your people. As a master of your domain, you would teach others how to do what you do and once they learn, they can then become masters. They would then teach what they know, and so on. Make sense? Through all this, you scale up help and grow.

With all this in mind, let’s delve into some important delegation barriers many leaders experience or feel.

• Ego – I can do it better myself.

• Time – Takes too long to explain.

• Accountability – I’m accountable if it goes wrong.

• Skills Gaps – My staff don’t possess the technical skills.

• Authority Threat – Delegation reduces my own authority.

Stressed-out leaders who go from crisis to crisis and spend most of their working day ‘fighting fires’ are probably failing to delegate. The ‘firefighting’ is reactive management, not proactive management.

3 Benefits of Delegation to the Leader

#1 – Free up your time whilst achieving more

By delegating effectively in the workplace, as project leader you will free yourself up to focus on more urgent/pressing/high level projects and strategic tasks, you will also help grow and develop other people in your team.

#2 – Establish a thriving culture of trust

Avoid saying to yourself, “I’ll just do it myself”. Your work will begin to pile up and make you less efficient. Successful managers know when to delegate and increase productivity.

When you delegate correctly, not only do you motivate others, you make them feel involved, contribute to their professional development, and utilise your team’s skills.

#3 – Build trust and increase the flexibility of your team

When your team receives the chance to challenge their skills, their loyalty and productivity will likely improve, or at the least, not decrease.

When a leader uses delegation to develop their team they are better placed to know who has the practical competencies in place to take on for the most important duties.

In addition, collaborating as a team on a project allows for ideas being shared, for people to have a voice and for team ideas to grow. Delegation can be an essential tool and skill to get things done in a timely fashion.

In your absence, things will get done, and done well.

3 Key Benefits of Delegation to your Team

#1 – Chance to prove your worth

When you have been delegated a task, this is your chance to shine and show people the skills you possess.

#2 – An opportunity to be involved

When your leader involves you, take it as a compliment rather than a negative thought. They believe in your skills and know you can do a great job. Furthermore, now that you are involved you can provide an opinion. Good leaders will always take them on board.

#3 – A unique opportunity to grow your skills

When people show faith in you, it is a great chance to learn, build confidence, and experience you can carry with you beyond Cups.

Reflection time!

1. Leaders, do you struggle with delegation? Why?
2. Can you identify areas in your domain where you should be delegating?
3. What are some examples of tasks you can delegate to your teammates?