Recent research has suggested that 80% of employees feel stressed due to ineffective communication in their organization (GoRemotely 2020).
But employees are not the only ones feeling overwhelmed or stressed by their jobs.
Leaders and managers in every industry are struggling more with delegation.
With the turnover that so many teams have experienced, new hires are more common – but the challenge of learning to delegate often exists in established workplace cultures.
The issue is with leadership understanding that THEY are often the lid on the team’s growth.
And the BEST leaders recognize that their job, like that of parents, is to make them selves obsolete – to develop leaders who can handle tasks and decisions without constantly seeking the opinion or okay of the person in charge.
Because if YOU are the one in charge, the stress you may feel when you have not yet learned to delegate can overwhelm you.
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One of the most helpful questions you can ask yourself is this:
“WHAT AM I SPENDING A LOT OF TIME ON THAT I SHOULDN’T BE?”
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When you are ready to stop putting out tiny fires all day long and are committed to developing the people around you into more effective leaders themselves, I have a helpful solution!
Ready to learn the FOUR STEPS you can take to reduce stress and delegate your leadership responsibilities? Here they are:
STEP ONE –
Transferring team values from posters to people
Most organizations have a mission statements and values that they have identified.
Very few have a mission statement that everyone knows and is inspired by…
And even fewer have clarified their team values and taken the time to define actual BEHAVIORS that would demonstrate the values they have chosen.
SO – before you begin to delegate tasks or responsibilities to others in your organization, you need to be confident that they understand and have committed to the values that will drive the decisions you will want them to make.
Alignment with the same values ensures the integrity that you need in your leaders.
STEP TWO –
Training (video, system, watch & do)
This may be the most important part of the puzzle, as this is where you teach the specific skills or process that you want them to take on.
You must be willing to invest TIME to ensure the person understands what they are going to need to do without you there beside them…
Let them watch you, then do it together, if possible…
You could even record a video for them on Loom or Zoom – but this is the step where you ensure that they demonstrate COMPETENCE in the task.
STEP THREE –
Trusting (back away, let them own it)
For many leaders, this step may be the most challenging.
When you are used to chiming in and offering advice or instruction… when you are used to having your day interrupted by questions… you actually train yourself to be a prisoner of your own poor leadership.
LEADERS exist to build more leaders.
This step requires you to trust the investment you have made in the person you have delegated a task to and let them own it.
Don’t interrupt them as they make that presentation.
Don’t step on their toes in front of your customer.
You will develop their CONFIDENCE by allowing them to do what you have trained and prepared them to do… and that team trust is the largest part of inspiring growth in your people.
STEP FOUR –
Troubleshooting together to clarify system
No matter how thorough and detailed your plans and preparation are, there will always be an unexpected issue that surfaces… a challenge that you didn’t anticipate that your team will need to handle.
When that happens, you trust your people to act according to the values and training that you have helped to develop.
And AFTER the unexpected issue has been handled, it is important to present the team with an opportunity to share idea about how it can be hadnled better and consistently in the future –
Every issue is an opportunity to create a usable system that your entire team will be trained and equipped to follow moving forward.
Change management and continuous improvement are part of sustained excellence in any organization… and your willingness to include others in the solution process will ensure their buy-in and behaviors when it matters.
So – if you are a leader looking to grow and develop your team members, the first step is to recognize that if you are doing everything you are being a poor leader!
You can reduce stress, enjoy your days more, improve your results, and develop your people more effectively by delegating new responsibilities to them.
Nd if you are looking for a proven system to build and sustain a more positive and profitable workplace culture, take a peek at the free video series I put together for you!
