I love being a part of a team. Everything increases when you are on a team; leadership capacity, energy, and creativity all grow exponentially. The relationships that are built become foundational to the health and success of your organization. I would argue that one of the most vital characteristics of a healthy team is trust. More than chemistry, more than good ideas or similar values, a team must have trust. The greatest teams I know are led by individuals that trust their team members. Delegation is a natural byproduct of trust filled relationships. As a leader, you have to understand the importance of assigning tasks that give your employees the opportunity to win. You should also understand that you will never be able to lead and accomplish everything that you need to accomplish on your own. A lack of delegation will make you feel like the whole world will fall apart if you take a day off. If you do not learn how to delegate, your organization and team will never experience growth. But in the realities of life, delegation can be hard. If you are struggling to delegate, here are a few ways to make it work.
-
Understand the difference between delegating and dumping.
When you delegate, make sure you are not looking to unload only the tasks that you do not want to deal with. Use this as an opportunity to teach your team to make decisions and play to their strengths. Give tasks according to the gifts and talents of each team member instead of according to what you do not want to do.
-
Find someone you trust.
Like I said before, trust is key in delegation. If you do not trust the person that you are handing a project to, you will be unable to release control. Trust your team and give the task to someone in whom you have confidence.
-
Release control.
Once you have entrusted the project or task to someone you trust, you have to release control. Resist the urge to micromanage and check in constantly. Delegation should relieve stress and eliminate items on your to do list. If you don’t release control, neither of those things can be accomplished.
-
Cast vision.
Make sure the person you are delegating to has not only the “how” for this project, but also the “why.” Delegation works best when the person who is taking on the task has bought in to the vision completely. They will take ownership of the possible success instead of fearing the possible failure. If you want someone to buy into your vision for this project, you have to create a clear vision.
-
Set expectations.
Not only does the vision need to be clear, your specific expectations must be clear as well. If you want the person taking over a task to succeed, define the win. No one can read your mind so be as clear as possible about what you expect. Write out your expectations so everyone is on the same page.
-
Establish accountability.
Your team members will need a way to check in and give status reports that does not consume all of your time. You may not need to be the person that everyone reports to, but make sure everyone is checking in with someone.
-
Celebrate the wins.
Throw a party! Recognize the accomplishments of your team. Let your people know that you appreciate and value them. It is not enough to simply work together; you must also celebrate together.
