BEING AN EFFECTIVE LEADER // LEADERSHIP ENGAGEMENT
BEING AN
Effective LEADER
USING DELEGATION AS A LEADERSHIP TOOL BY LORENA MCDONALD
P
erhaps the most important aspect of being a good leader is getting along with people. Effective leadership is based on creating honest professional relationships so individuals and businesses can achieve success. But – being a leader is hard work. The building blocks to lead effectively are based on a few key skills like collaboration, motivation and delegation. Many times, leaders who micromanage are focused solely on technical and operational efforts that create burnout, stress and negativity in a workplace environment. So, how can such pitfalls be avoided? First, leaders must pool resources and delegate responsibilities to others. Distributing job duties helps organizations become more efficient at all levels. Research shows that delegation – as a tool in leadership – is valuable. “There are a lot of pros with delegating when it’s done properly (because) delegation starts with creating trusting
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MAY 2017 // BUSINESS IN CALGARY // BUSINESSINCALGARY.COM
relationships and dialogue reflecting your understanding of your employees, and clarity of the tasks that need to be accomplished,” explains Lillas Hatala, executive director of Integrative Leadership International (LTD), and Mount Royal University instructor of leadership effectiveness and emotional intelligence at work. Hatala says, “Research from the Centre for Creative Leadership shows that the benefits of effective delegation include freeing a leader of time for more strategic activities, creating a culture of trust and providing employees with the freedom on how to accomplish tasks and roles (hence) increasing engagement and empowerment.” Delegating not only helps a leader become well organized but gives employees a feeling of belonging in an organization. For this reason, “when things get difficult and challenging, creating more inclusive workplaces and not doing it alone but developing partners and allies will give greater success,” adds Hatala.