To Delegate or Not to Delegate
“You always hear about delegation, but people make the mistake of delegating and not following up. I give authority, but I stay in touch. Otherwise it doesn’t work.” ~Wayne Huizenga
The success of our industry, depends on two things: 1. That we have well prepared leaders in the field and, 2. That we are brave enough and smart enough to delegate to them. Delegating is difficult for most driven leaders and yet it is the ability to delegate that is the mark of a true leader.
When is the right time to delegate? If you have the right talent onboard, the time to delegate is yesterday. Hopefully as a leader, you have the mindset of creating and developing the leaders you need. This does not necessarily mean promoting people, but it very well could be. There is a demand for leaders in the service industry. There is a larger demand for those that develop leaders. The growth of any organization depends on growing leaders.
Yesterday, I started 4 new employees in the first class of my leadership course for the service industry. I designed it for first time leaders, for those that may have never led others. All 4 employees are engaged, bright and willing to learn. They are young, just out of high school or college and love working outside. There is a lot of conversation in my class. We read, I ask questions, they write answers, then share them with our group. I am challenging their mindset, getting them out of their comfort zone and allowing them to stabilize their leadership voice at the table. One day that voice will lead in the field.
Delegating is most likely out of your comfort zone. It is for me. But I find that I am challenged to reach my full potential and to stop doing things I know I should be giving to others. The transition, the training, the handing off the baton is the uncomfortable part. It takes time, I am not patient person. I want it done right, so I hold on to it. I can do it faster, so I keep doing it. I always have to correct their work, so I keep doing it. Stop. Train them, watch them do it, oversee the correction if needed, but continue to delegate and grow the leaders you need.
It is better to follow up in a week and confirm the work is completed than to keep doing ALL yourself.
“If you want to do a few small things right, do them yourself. If you want to do great things and make a big impact, learn to delegate.”
– John C. Maxwell, American author
Thank you for growing yourself and your team,
Jeff
