I get it. And if that’s you, let me say this: your commitment to quality and wanting to do your best is admirable.
But let me also say this: you will stunt your own growth, the growth of your team, and the growth of your organization if you continue your work without a plan for delegation.
And by delegation, here’s what I mean: pushing decision-making responsibility and authority down to the lowest level possible and using delegation as a means to build your bench.
That may sound scary. But here are a few reasons why this is so important:
- You can’t control everything or avoid all mistakes, even if you DON’T delegate decision-making.
- You are only one person, and if you’re the only one making the decision, you will become the bottleneck.
- Your team members often have the best vantage point and environmental knowledge to make the right decision for the work, when given the proper context.
- When trustworthy team members aren’t trusted to make decisions, their engagement and motivation for the work will decrease, and eventually, so will your team’s productivity.
Now, you may be wondering, “Well, I understand that it’s important, but how do I actually delegate decision-making without putting the organization, or my portion of the work, at risk?”
Most of the time, what trusted team members need to make better decisions isn’t years of additional experience. Very rarely is that the case.
Here are 2 things you can do TODAY to empower your team to make decisions for themselves, rather than having to wait for you:
- Teach them your decision-making PROCESS, and then coach them in using it (don’t make the decision for them). What factors do you consider when making the decision? What information do you need? How do you make sure you’re not making the wrong decision? What are the pitfalls to avoid? At what point should decisions be escalated to the next level?
- Give them the INFORMATION they need. Often, challenges in decision-making come from not having enough data, information and context. If your team members are at a lower level and therefore don’t have access to the same context and information you’re getting, then bring them in! Give them the data and information they need to make the decision.
When you train decision-making, coach your team members in their decision-making process, and then only step back in to make the decision yourself when you absolutely have to, you will:
– multiply your experience and skillset throughout your team,
– no longer be the bottleneck,
– empower your team to go further than they ever could before,
– generate positive results for your organization,
– and, last but not least, lower your stress levels and time constraints of having all the decision-making responsibility on your own shoulders.
I know delegating and giving up decision-making responsibility can be hard and feel risky, but it’s worth it! Your team and your organization will thank you.
This is just one way you can improve your leadership. If you’d like to LEVEL-UP the overall effectiveness of your entire leadership team, click here to schedule a discovery call with me.