The Art of Delegation

Donna and Yakov discuss the importance of delegation for leadership and development in organizations. Effective delegation increases revenue, addresses business challenges, and fosters team growth. Common barriers include leaders' reluctance to let go and fear of becoming less valuable. L&D professionals can help by promoting delegation as a core competency and creating supportive learning environments. #delegation, #leadership, #teamgrowth, #organizationaldevelopment, #LnD, #businesschallenges, #corecompetency

Episode Transcript

(00:00):
Welcome to Bite-sized L&D, your quick no-nonsense update on the latest in workplace learning.

(00:10):
Today, we'll uncover the secrets to mastering delegation, a critical leadership skill that
can boost revenue, develop your team, and help you avoid burnout. Plus, we'll share a powerful
five-step process to transform how you delegate. Alright, let's get straight into it.

(00:30):
Hey everyone, welcome to another episode of Bite-sized L&D. I'm Dana, and as always,
I'm joined by my insightful co-host. How are you doing today, Yakov?
I'm doing great, Dana. Really excited about today's topic because it's something I see
organizations struggling with all the time. We're talking about delegation, why it's

(00:51):
absolutely critical for today's managers and leaders, and how L&D professionals can help
their organizations master this skill. Oh, this is such an important topic. I was just reading that,
according to research, leaders who effectively delegate can generate 33% more revenue than those
who struggle with delegation. Yet so many managers find it difficult to let go of tasks. Why do you

(01:16):
think that is? You know, it's fascinating. Many leaders rise to their positions precisely because
they're good at executing tasks themselves. Then suddenly, they're expected to accomplish results
through others, and it's a completely different skill set. I actually love this definition I heard
recently. Delegation isn't just passing tasks down. It's passing tasks down with the explicit goal

(01:40):
of growing your team members. That's a powerful reframe. So delegation isn't just about clearing
your own plate. It's actually a development tool. Exactly. And when we look at it that way,
it transforms how we approach delegation. Instead of thinking, I need to get this off my desk,
the mindset becomes, who would benefit from taking on this challenge? I love that perspective.

(02:06):
Let's back up a bit, though. What exactly makes delegation such a critical skill for today's leaders?
Why are we focusing on this specifically? Great question. First, the pace of business today is
unprecedented. Leaders simply cannot do everything themselves and still be strategic. Second,
we're dealing with increasingly complex problems that require diverse perspectives and expertise.

(02:31):
And third, employee expectations have changed dramatically. People want growth opportunities
and meaningful work. That makes sense. So delegation addresses all three of those challenges. It frees
up leader bandwidth, leverages diverse expertise, and creates development opportunities. You got it.

(02:51):
But here's where it gets interesting from an L&D perspective. We see leaders intellectually agree
with all of this, yet still struggle enormously with actually delegating effectively.
Oh, talk to me about that. What are the common barriers you're seeing?
From our work with organizations, we see several recurring themes. First is the I

(03:11):
can do it better myself syndrome. Leaders who believe no one can match their quality standards.
Then there's the it's faster to do it myself than explain it mindset, the classic efficiency trap.
Oh, I've definitely fallen into that one before. By the time I explain this, I could have done it
three times over. Right. But that's such short term thinking. Another big one is fear, fear of

(03:35):
becoming less valuable if you're not the one doing the work. Fear of team members outshining you,
fear of failure if the delegated task doesn't go well. That vulnerability is real. I think many
leaders don't even realize that's what's holding them back. Absolutely. And then there are the
logistical challenges, not knowing how to delegate effectively, unclear communication,

(03:58):
insufficient follow up, micromanaging. These are all skills that can be taught. But many leaders
haven't had that training. It sounds like L and D professionals must get pretty frustrated seeing
these patterns play out across their organizations. Oh, for sure. The biggest frustration I hear from
L and D colleagues is watching talented leaders burn out because they won't delegate. While

(04:21):
simultaneously seeing team members disengage because they're not being challenged. It's this
lose lose scenario that could so easily be a win win. That's heartbreaking, really. So let's
talk solutions. What does effective delegation actually look like? I'd love to share some examples.
Here's one I observed recently. A marketing director needed to present quarterly results to

(04:44):
the executive team. Instead of creating the presentation herself, she delegated it to a
promising analyst. But and this is key. She didn't just hand it off. She clearly communicated why
she chose him, what success looked like, and offered coaching throughout the process.
And how did that turn out? The analyst knocked it out of the park. He brought insights the director

(05:10):
hadn't even considered gained visibility with executives and developed presenting skills.
Meanwhile, the director gained 10 hours back in her schedule and identified a potential
successor. That's delegation at its best. That's a fantastic example of the win win we're talking
about. Can you share another scenario? Here's one that illustrates how delegation can work even

(05:34):
in high stake situations. A CTO I worked with was known for being a technical genius,
but also a bottleneck, because everything needed his approval. We helped him identify a complex
technical challenge that was important, but not urgent and delegated to a promising engineer.
I bet that was hard for him. It was. But we created a structured process where the engineer would

(05:59):
make recommendations, explain his reasoning, and the CTO would provide feedback. Over time,
the CTO learned to trust the engineer's judgment and gradually expanded the scope of what he
delegated. And the benefit was within six months, the CTO had freed up 40% of his time for strategic

(06:20):
initiatives that had been on the back burner for years. And the engineer was being groomed for a
leadership position. Even better, it created a ripple effect where other team members started
asking for stretch assignments. These examples make delegation sound like magic. But I imagine
there are pitfalls to avoid too, right? Definitely. The biggest mistake we see is what I call drive by

(06:42):
delegation, dropping an assignment on someone's desk without context, clear expectations or support,
and then disappearing. Oh, I've experienced that. It feels awful to be on the receiving end.
It undermines trust and actually creates more work in the long run. Another common mistake
is delegating only the routine boring tasks while keeping all the interesting high visibility work

(07:07):
for yourself. That's not going to do much for team development, is it? Not at all. It creates a
two tier system where team members feel like task rabbits rather than developing professionals.
Effective delegation includes a mix of routine tasks and stretch assignments aligned with each
person's development needs. So what would you say are the key principles of effective delegation?

(07:32):
I think about it as a five step process. First, select the right person for the right task,
considering both current skills and development needs. Second, clearly communicate the what,
why, and how. The objective, importance, and parameters of success. Makes sense so far. Third,

(07:54):
grant appropriate authority along with the responsibility. Nothing is more frustrating
than being responsible for an outcome but not having the authority to make decisions. Fourth,
provide support without micromanaging. And fifth, create feedback loops so both parties
learn from the experience. That's a great framework. Now let's shift to the L&D perspective.

(08:18):
How can learning professionals help address this skill gap in their organizations?
L&D has a critical role here. First, by elevating delegation as a core leadership competency rather
than an optional nice to have skill. Second, by creating safe learning environments where
leaders can practice delegation and receive feedback. Any specific training approaches you've seen

(08:41):
work well? Role playing exercises can be incredibly effective. Having leaders practice both delegating
and receiving delegation helps build empathy for both sides of the equation.
Peer coaching circles also work well, where leaders share delegation challenges and brainstorm
solutions together. What about organizational systems and culture? I imagine those play a role

(09:06):
too. Huge role. L&D needs to partner with HR to ensure performance metrics and rewards align
with effective delegation. If leaders are only recognized for their individual contributions,
why would they delegate? Similarly, if failure is severely punished, leaders won't risk

(09:27):
delegating important tasks. So there needs to be organizational permission to delegate and
develop others, even if it occasionally leads to mistakes. Exactly the best organizations
explicitly recognize and reward leaders who develop their team members through effective
delegation. Some even include team member growth as a key performance indicator for managers.

(09:50):
I love that. As we start to wrap up, what would you say are the most compelling benefits of
delegation when it's done well? The benefits are tremendous at multiple levels. For leaders,
it creates time for strategic thinking, prevents burnout, and actually enhances their reputation
as someone who develops others. For team members, it provides growth opportunities, increases

(10:13):
engagement, and builds confidence. And for organizations, it improves succession planning,
increases innovation through diverse perspectives, and enhances overall productivity.
That's a compelling case. Any final thoughts or advice for our listeners?
If you're an L&D professional, consider delegation not just as a time management skill,

(10:35):
but as a core leadership development strategy. And remember that effective delegation isn't
about creating worker bees to execute your vision. It's about nurturing future leaders who will
eventually surpass your capabilities. And if you're a leader listening to this?
Start small, but start now. Identify one meaningful task you could delegate this week

(10:58):
that would develop someone on your team. And remember, your job isn't to be the smartest
person in the room doing all the work. It's to create the conditions where your entire team can
do their best work. Such great advice, Yaakov. Thanks for sharing these insights on delegation,
and thank you all for tuning in to another episode of Bite-Sized L&D.

(11:20):
Until next time, keep learning, keep growing, and maybe, delegate something today.
See you next time.
We've reached the end of today's podcast, where we delved into the art of delegation,
exploring its impact on team growth and leader effectiveness, along with a helpful five-step

(11:43):
process to master this essential skill. Don't forget to like, subscribe, and share this episode
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