The Workplace Lightning Rod You Least Expect
Having a wisdom tooth out this week forced me to delegate.
Which is helpful. Because a lot of us know we should delegate - but struggle to do so.
Even those of us who teach delegation sometimes need a minor surgery to do it as much as we should. (Ahem.)
Why is this the case? And why is it particularly common for high-performers at leading companies to hesitate to pass off work?
A lot of reasons. Perhaps beginning with the fact that those of us in leadership probably ended up here because we were good at doing things - but not necessarily at getting other people to do things.
These are different skill sets. The good news? Delegation can be learned.
And our delegation framework is top-notch, as you’d hopefully expect.
But, delegation is TOUGH.
It’s a workplace lightning rod.
It requires:
Trust - it’s a leap of faith.
Accountability and feedback - make sure the delegate-ee steps up and that the delegator lets them know how they did.
Psychological safety - make it OK for the person you’re delegating to to not do it perfectly.
High performance standards - clearly communicate expectations and incentivize people to deliver high-quality work.
Time - it is often “quicker if I do it myself” - but that’s a short-term approach. Those of us who have tried it know that falls down as soon as you burn out, your employee leaves out of boredom, or you take on more than one direct report.
An understanding of what motivates people - giving them tasks they want to do - and/or spelling out how this task connects to the big picture.
A culture of learning - as opposed to one of blame or apathy.
So… If you want to do delegation right, make sure you’re also investing in your workplace culture.
A few ideas to that end:
Cultivate trust - credibility, reliability, and connection are good places to start.
Foster true ownership of tasks and projects - you can talk about accountability, but until your team experiences it firsthand they’re unlikely to truly take ownership.
Make time to give feedback - the good, the bad, and the ugly. Be specific and focus on facts.
Make it OK to make mistakes - and approach them as opportunities to learn rather than blame. This feels daunting, but it’s the best route to minimizing mistakes in the future.
Recognize that a short- and medium-term investment in delegating has a long-term pay-off in time, engagement, and morale. Time well spent, in fact.
Ask your colleagues about the types of work and activities they find fulfilling. You can’t make any promises, of course, but the more you know, the more you can tailor the tasks you pass along or connect the dots between action and impact.
Consider what your workplace culture embraces and rewards. If it’s perfection or excellence, an unintended consequence might be micromanaging and poor delegation. Too much of strength can be a weakness - so how will you counteract that effect?
All this can be overwhelming. Why not delegate one task today and see how it goes? Afterwards, consider what would help it go more smoothly next time. The chances are, it’s on our list.
Ellie Hearne helps leaders bring strategy and culture together. As founder of Pencil or Ink, she has worked with dozens of industry-leading companies, one or two government agencies, and a handful of non-profits. She teaches part-time on the Oxford Strategic Innovation Program and is Treasurer of the University of St Andrews American Foundation. Ellie has been quoted in The New York Times and the Irish Times on workplace communications and in Business Insider and Nasdaq on entrepreneurship. She is also a parent, a dog person, and a half-hearted runner.