Episode Transcript
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(00:01):
What makes delegation so hard?
I know you like me, haveprobably been to all the classes
and read all the articles youknow about staying in your zone
of genius and making sure thatas you look at your tasks, you
are giving other people the onesthat they are able to do and
you're only keeping the onesthat you have the network or the
(00:24):
skills or knowledge to be ableto do.
But it's still so hard.
If you've ever told yourself, Iknow I should delegate more, but
it's just faster if I do itmyself.
This episode is for you.
Today, we're continuing our fourepisode miniseries based on the
topics we'll be exploring in ourupcoming leadership build
(00:46):
series, a Hands-on Grouplearning experience launching
this September.
Last week we tackled difficultconversations.
This week we're diving intodelegation.
Why it feels so hard when it'sbest not to delegate, and what
actually changes when we startmaking our delegation decisions.
(01:09):
In a more structured way andstart delegating more
effectively.
In the coming episodes, we'llexplore two more essential
leadership skills leadingthrough change, and managing up
and influencing withoutauthority.
And here's the exciting part.
These four topics, as Imentioned, will form the core of
(01:30):
our next leadership buildseries, a powerful group
experience using Lego seriousplay to explore and grow your
leadership through creativity,reflection, and real world
application.
I'll share more about that and aspecial deal just for podcast
listeners.
In our final episode of theseason coming out on July 2nd.
(01:55):
Now let's dig into this week'stopic, delegation.
I'm Terry Schmidt, executive andleadership coach at Strong
Leaders Serve, where I partnerwith compassionate driven
leaders to transform potentialinto performance.
And this is the Strong LeadersServe Podcast.
(02:29):
Now, I will tell you from myexperiences personally as a
leader and now as a coach,working with leaders, even
experienced leaders strugglewith delegation.
Especially those who have builttheir careers by being the
reliable problem solver, theperson others turn to when
something important needs to getdone quickly and correctly.
(02:53):
Does that sound like you in afast-paced environment?
When a task lands on your deskand you know that you can do it
right and fast, it's hard tohand it off, not just because of
time pressure.
But because delegation oftencomes with discomfort, watching
someone else fumble through it,feeling responsible for their
(03:15):
mistakes, or even questioningyour own worth when you are not
the one executing.
We protect ourselves from theseuncomfortable emotions by doing
the task ourselves.
But here's the trade off.
Every moment we spend doing.
We're not leading.
Delegation isn't just shifting atask.
(03:37):
It's shifting our mindset fromshort-term control to long-term
investment.
I remember working with aleader, we'll call her Maria,
who had built her career bybeing the one everyone relied
on.
She was fast, she wasdependable, she was detail
oriented.
(03:59):
When she got promoted into aleadership role, delegation
became her biggest challenge.
There was one recurring reportthat took her about an hour each
week.
She knew that someone else onthe team could learn it, but the
thought of mistakes or having toexplain it all felt like more
work than just continuing to doit herself.
(04:21):
Eventually, as the otherleadership work piled up on her
plate, she decided it was timeto hand it off.
And yes, there were a few bumpsin the beginning, but months
later, not only was that teammember that she had handed it
off to confidently completingthe report.
They'd actually improved it.
(04:43):
Maria had gained back her time,and her team member had gained
confidence and visibility.
It is a simple example, but apowerful one.
One that illustrates what I wastalking about, how delegation
isn't just about shifting atask.
It's about shifting your mindsetfrom short-term control to
long-term investment.
(05:05):
That one hour investment turnedinto a development opportunity
and a shift in team dynamicsthat paid off far beyond the
task itself.
however, just like anyleadership skill things aren't
necessarily simple.
I can't just tell you.
You always need to delegate.
In fact, there are times when itmight be best not to delegate
(05:27):
and to keep the task yourself.
So how do you know when todelegate and when?
It really might make more sensejust to do it yourself.
It starts by asking somegrounding questions.
Is this task time sensitive?
Are the stakes high?
If it's done imperfectly, is ita one-time task?
(05:50):
Or something that recurs.
If you delegate this, what couldbe the benefit six months from
now?
Could this be a developmentopportunity for someone else?
And ask yourself also, am Iholding on?
Because I believe my value comesfrom being the one who executes
(06:10):
it.
If your answers to thesequestions point to urgency, high
risk, or a one-time task thatdoesn't save time in the future,
doing it yourself might be wise,but if it's repeatable, the
timeline is flexible and there'sgrowth potential for someone
else, and you discover thatmaybe you're holding onto it
(06:31):
just because you enjoy the valueyou get and the recognition you
get from completing it.
That's where delegation islikely to pay off.
So let's say you've decideddelegation is your best
approach.
The next step is to do some ofthe internal work that makes
delegating more regularly easierfor you.
(06:51):
First, let's tackle how you canredefine your success and your
value.
What once was pretty clear cut.
Your success was based on thetasks and projects you completed
is now a bit more complicated.
Think about it like this.
As a leader, you're no longerthe solo performer on the stage.
(07:13):
Instead, you're the conductor onthe stage coordinating a bigger,
more complex performance.
And that shift can be exciting,as I said, a bigger, more
complex performance that hasbigger results, but it also can
be very uncomfortable.
After all, we're used to beingthe fixer, the problem solver,
(07:34):
the reliable doer.
But leadership isn't aboutfixing everything yourself.
It's about amplifying others.
Creating the environment forgrowth, creativity, and
long-term impact.
The question becomes, what doessuccess look like for you if
it's no longer about you doingthe work?
(07:56):
Well, here's one idea that I'veseen work.
Start measuring your successwith what I call the lift index.
Think about all the results thatyou are trying to drive by
delegating.
Are people solving problemswithout you?
Are they taking on newchallenges with less support?
Are you no longer needed inevery meeting?
(08:19):
Are you seeing team members whoare maybe a little bit more
quiet, speaking up in meetings?
And taking ownership ofdifferent tasks, it's gonna look
different for everyone, but Iencourage you to think about,
how can I see that my delegationis paying off and getting really
concrete about some observationsthat you can make.
(08:43):
I've even seen leaders put theseobservations or these specific
pieces of evidence into adashboard for themselves and
keeping track of the number oftimes that they see it.
So that they can calculate theirown personal lift index.
So maybe by now you're sold ondelegation, you're resigned to
(09:04):
setting the vision and havingthe team execute.
You're following the adage thatthe leader sets the why and the
what of the project, and theteam sets the how.
But before we end today, I wannadiscuss how leaders can
sometimes take that too far.
I know from firsthandexperience, as I was guilty of
(09:26):
it as a leader, I fell into whatI call the dino trap.
That's DINO.
What is that?
Well, many new leaders worryabout micromanaging, so they
swing to the opposite extreme.
They delegate and name onlyDINO.
(09:48):
They assign the task, but theydon't provide the context, the
expectations, or the supportthat their team needs to
succeed.
They feel like they wanna givetheir team that control, but
they don't give them enough tosupport or enough guardrails to
actually execute the taskeffectively.
Real delegation isn't aboutcompletely letting go, it's
(10:12):
about scaffolding.
If you think about scaffoldingon a building, it creates just
enough structure to supportconfidence and creativity
without stifling ownership.
One way to do this is with thethree Ws and one H framework, so
the three Ws.
(10:32):
These are essential informationfor your team member to
effectively execute on the task.
The first one, why does thisproject matter?
Second, what is the desiredoutcome?
What does success look like?
And the third, W, who isresponsible for what and how do
these pieces fit together?
(10:54):
And then the H, how much freedomis there and what are the
boundaries?
If you can fit those three W'sand one H into your
conversation, when you'redelegating the task, you will be
well on your way to delegatingeffectively in a way that
provides support and scaffoldingfor your team member and also.
(11:19):
Make sure that what they comeback with is going to meet your
needs and the needs of theproject.
When you get this right, you'llalso hit what educational
psychologists love Vygotskycalled the Zone of Proximal
Development.
The sweet spot where peoplestretch, struggle a bit, but
grow.
It's right outside their comfortzone, but it's where learning
(11:43):
and leadership really happens.
If you've ever wrestled withdelegation, either clinging to
control or backing off too far,know that you're not alone.
In fact, you're exactly who thisepisode was for.
I know that was just a shorttaste into delegation and what
makes it so hard and how you canthink about it differently to
(12:05):
remove some of that discomfort.
But we're gonna be doing muchmore in our leadership build
series.
That launches in September,we'll explore each skill, not
just in theory but in community.
And we'll utilize methods likeLego, serious play, deep
reflection and peer support.
(12:26):
Again, I'll be sharing the fulldetails and a special listener
only offer in our final episodeof the season on July 2nd.
Next week we'll talk aboutleading through change.
Until then, keep leading withcourage.
And remember, strong leadersserve.