Do you ever feel that you have too much to do? That people at home or work, just don’t pick up their share of the workload and that you don’t have enough time to do it all. Well the good news is you are not alone. Effective leaders know how to delegate it is a skill that they learned. There are people that are professional jugglers, but leaders are meant to be professional delegators. Over the next two months I will be providing programs on Juggling it All and Leading a Balanced Life. If any one area of our life gets out of balance then we can easily become overwhelmed.
A cartoon we read in the United States is called “Peanuts” Snoopy is a dog in the cartoon, who has a lot of personality. Snoopy is lying on top of his famous doghouse, complaining that there is too much to do . In the final frame of the cartoon, he sighs and says, “I hate being head beagle!” We can all relate no matter our profession, to those days when we just wish we weren’t the one in charge. It isn’t the privilege of being the leader, but the responsibilities that often exhaust us. This happens when we haven’t learned the master of delegation. Perhaps you have heard the saying that you can do the work of ten men or get ten men to do the work. When we try to do the work alone, we quickly extinguish our enthusiasm and our productivity.
So why do we hesitate to delegate and instead attempt to juggle it all. Fear of losing our authority. Fear it will cost us! It is easier to do it myself. "It will cost me money," is the most common excuse not to delegate. It may be costing you money because of lack of delegation or for poor delegation skills. Employees of all ages feel more valued when they are entrusted to do work, they feel a sense of responsibility and thus are more motivated. If all they are given to do is menial tasks that have no known value or significance then they are less committed to the robotic type of job.
However, if you are practicing delegation are you sharing the work load? Too often people look for compliant people who will do the job. While this works for a while, leaders risk burning-out the compliant employee or person, because of our resistance to delegating to an individual who may challenge our authority or may question us. We must learn to delegate professionally to those who eagerly help as well as to those who resist. Companies working with Generation X and Y realize that employees will not stand by silently and do all the work, rather they will bring it to the leaders attention very quickly that other people are not doing their share of the work. Resentment among employees and even employer can grow if this is handled inappropriately. Are you confident in your skills? Do you need some coaching in this area? What will it take to better understand how to delegate professionally? Let us know if we can help.
What does it take to delegate? Proper communication skills, ability, and availability to teach. Communication is key to delegating effectively. Knowing how to ask people to help is one part. Enlist their help by asking versus telling them or demanding them to help. This can make all the difference in how people hear the request and thus respond. Begin the request with an “I” statement expressing needs from your perspective. Remember to be courteous in the approach and give them choices on what they can help with. For example, “I have 14 follow up calls to make and this package that needs to be delivered to the POG Dept. Which of these would you be most comfortable assisting with?” Practicing the “I” Statement and giving choices is the first step. Attempt to avoid the word “You” when delegating or in most sentences as it can sound accusatory or blaming and often puts people on the defensive.
For example: You need to take the trash out. Versus The trash needs to be taken out, I appreciate your doing that. Practicing these simple tips at work, at home and even when we are customers ourselves helps us get more of what we want. Stay tune for more delegating tips this month.
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