Alicia McKay
Some of us (cough) have trust issues. Most of those issues are for a good reason. But when it comes to leading teams at work, they can get in the way of doing a good job. Delegation only works when we trust the people involved and have the skills to lead them to success.
When we don't trust people to get on with it and do their work, we create bottlenecks, frustrate people and waste potential. On a personal level, we increase our stress, exhaustion and frustration, risking burnout.
In this article
Why delegation is hard
What's the point of having a team if everything still has to go through you? If you're in a leadership role, but your satisfaction comes from solving problems yourself, it's time to let go.
For many of us, that's easier said than done. Chances are, you have been promoted for your expertise and problem-solving ability - which has become a massive part of your identity.
In Beyond Collaboration Overload, Rob Cross discusses "identity triggers." He argues that many of us feel the urge to intervene when we shouldn't, with the desire to help and prove our worth.
That urge and the fear of what will happen when things go wrong increase the load on our plates and demotivate our teams to step up and manage challenges independently.
If you're struggling to let go, here are three tips for changing how you delegate to your team.
1. Move from problem-solver to energy-provider
Instead of centring your identity in the tangible results you deliver, Cross urges leaders to become "energizers." Leaders who focus on bringing positive, enabling energy to others are four times more likely to be high performers than the average bear.
An energiser can be found:
- Communicating a vision that connects to what motivates others rather than just organisational goals
- Allocating shared ownership early on, purposely creating the space for each person to contribute meaningfully
- Using fun and humour to keep things light and remove awkward power dynamics.
To make the shift, think about what your people care most about and how to provide opportunities for them to bring that into their work. Laugh more, don't take everything so seriously, and keep a big-picture perspective about the true importance of tasks and projects.
Which brings me to tip two...
2. Eliminate minor issues
Cross also discusses small, corrosive stressors and their cumulative impact on our well-being. When we're stressed and overwhelmed, minor issues or mistakes can seem worse than they are. If we're already struggling with trust, we tend to overreact, seizing control in the face of a minor misdemeanour.
If this is you, and you're facing a constant barrage of niggles, take some space to reflect on what some of the key themes are. If you're constantly putting out the same fires or solving the same issues, dig deeper to determine what might be causing them before jumping into the fray.
If you have one staff member who's always making the same mistake, open up a frank and supportive conversation about the process they're using or the information they're missing. If you're always picking up late or urgent communication, investigate whether your expectations are clear or whether you're providing enough information early on.
This supports my third tip of the day...
3. Make expectations crystal clear
Most issues are not about poor performance but the result of crossed lines or a lack of clarity. For example:
- Procrastination is more likely to indicate a lack of information to proceed than laziness.
- Mistakes are more likely to indicate unclear standards and requirements than incompetence.
- Dropped balls are more likely to indicate unclear roles and boundaries than a lack of care.
We make many assumptions about what people know and understand, and when you're the boss, most people would instead try to figure it out for themselves rather than risk looking stupid or directionless.
Many leaders resist this clarity for fear of being too prescriptive, which is counter-productive in delivery. The goal is to be clear on outcomes and expectations, not prescriptive about tasks and processes. Dan Sullivan recommends using an Impact Filter for all critical projects that require delegating.
By taking an extra 30 minutes to clarify a project, you and your team will save time later, thanks to alignment on priorities and expectations.
An Impact Filter asks you to:
1. Be clear on what you want to accomplish, including the difference it will make and what the project should look like. Being clear about the end state asks us to consider tangible details such as resources, timing and relationships, as well as what it will mean emotionally for the people affected
2. Describe the best and worst-case scenarios in as much detail as possible. Doing a pre-mortem helps you think about what might go wrong, which improves the quality of your planning conversations and, most importantly, keeps your expectations realistic.
3. Understand what good looks like, as detailed success criteria. When you're specific about what success will look and feel like—dates, dollars, numbers, actions, and decisions—you're more likely to deliver an outcome (rather than ticking off tasks along the way).
As a bonus, this level of clarity will achieve many of the first two tips, too - creating the space for people to get excited and take ownership while smoothing out potential issues that will bring you down along the way.
Happy trusting!
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