ED U C AT I O N
Why Delegation Matters: A Business Leader’s Guide to Loosening Their Grip
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W hen you’re a business leader or ent repreneur, t he importance of the success of your business is felt in an all-encompassing way. Because of t his, it’s rat ional to understand why some leaders want to have their hands in ever y single aspect of the business. But at what point does t hat well-intent ioned care t hrow off t he balance of t he tea m a nd t he dy na m ics of one’s operat ions? If you’re a busi ness leader or ow ner who has a ha rd time loosening their grip and delegating tasks to their capable team, keep reading.
WHY THE STRUGGLE? Su z a n n Foerster, L eadersh ip Coach a nd CEO of Suzann Foerster Leadership Coaching, explained that many leaders struggle to delegate because they don’t fully trust others to meet their standards, fearing the consequences if things go wrong. That fear, she said, often ties back to how it might ref lect on them as a leader. “For some, t he hesitat ion is leg it imate. T heir tea m may not yet have the sk ills or clarit y needed to succeed,” Foerster said. “In those cases, the leader’s real work is to develop their people, not just do the work themselves. But that requires getting off the treadmill and stepping out of t he comfor t of constant doing to invest t ime in coaching and a lig ning. You w ill move slower at f irst, and it may even feel uncomfortable. Yet that temporar y pain is the price of building long-term capacit y.” Accord i ng to Foerster, ma ny leaders t h i n k t hey ’re bei ng c lea r w it h t hei r tea m, but h aven’t ac t u a l l y achieved shared understanding. “Tr ue cla r it y mea ns being able to descr ibe exact ly w hat ‘good’ look s l i ke, w hat qu a l it y st a nda rd s to meet, a nd w hat outcomes w i l l ma ke you say, ‘Yes,
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that’s it,’” she said, noting how delegation breaks dow n w it hout t hat level of def init ion. “W hen leaders fa i l to delegate effectively, they over work themselves and send unintended messages to their teams.” Some of those messages include: » “I don’t trust you.” » “You’re not worth slowing down to teach.” » “It’s not OK to make mistakes.” “ T h i s br e e d s f r u s t r at ion , l i m it s aut onom y, a nd depr ives tea m members of oppor t unit ies to lea r n a nd build confidence. The ripple effect is a stif led team that performs below its potential,” Foerster shared. “A leader’s real job isn’t just to get t he work done; it’s to build t he team’s capacit y to get the work done. W hen leaders invest in their people’s sk ills and conf idence, they strengthen both performance and culture.” BEGINNING TO LET GO If you’re st r ug g l i ng to loosen you r leadersh ip g r ip, Foerster recommends getting curious about the cause of your hesitation and ask ing yourself the follow ing: » W hat’s really keeping me from delegating this? » Am I afraid it won’t be done perfectly? » Do I believe I’m the only one who can do it right? » Am I avoiding discomfort, giving critical feedback, or potential mistakes? » Do I fear not knowing what’s going on? » Is it hard for me not to be the “go to” person for everything in my department? “Naming what’s in your way is the first step,” Foerster sa id. “Once you see whet her you r relucta nce is about control, fear, or lack of trust, you can begin to address it w ith intention.”