Almost everyone I talk to in our crazy busy workplaces is out of time, overworked, and stressed to the max. We’re suffering from “The Overwhelm:” that sinking feeling that you get when someone lays the last straw on the camel’s back. It’s feels like one last gulp of air before the wave carries you under. It’s time for delegation.
I’ve been writing about delegation in recent posts. The quantity of time will never change— there will always be 24 hours in a day. What has to change is our perception of time and how we manage it, spend it, use it, save it, or waste it. This includes delegation. So why do we wait until faced with “The Overwhelm”?
When a leader delegates a task, they face a risk of the assignment not getting done exactly the way they expect. The simple way for this to be avoided is not to delegate. But beware: leaders who fail to delegate jeopardize the productivity, morale and health of their entire organization.
Trust
Bordering on the control theme, this concern stems from a leader’s lack of trust in the employee’s abilities. Leaders who doubt anyone can perform a specific task as well as they can severely limit what their team can accomplish. A leadership coach can help mitigate this mindset with one that empowers employees to prove themselves.
If the employee’s skills aren’t fully understood, the leader must be the one to correct this. Fortunately, this is relatively simple to address. If it is a matter of the leader not believing in a specific employee, they may find delegating easier if they use a process of monitoring the employee’s progress.
When I say monitoring, I don’t mean smothering or micromanaging someone. People need the freedom to work and use their skills, and are benefitted by leaders who only occasionally verify how they’re doing. Periodically inquiring about their progress is a fair tradeoff for debilitating, pestering distrust.
Keeping knowledge to oneself is not the job-security anchor many seem to think it is. Knowledge is not power, rather, power is the ability to harness the collective knowledge of the staff. Leaders succeed by teaching and trusting people and allowing them to contribute in ways they couldn’t before. Encourage growth and suggest ways to make improvements.
Delegation is a powerful tool to overcome “The Overwhelm”. Trust is the keystone.
If you haven’t already, check out my blog post on 5 Leadership Trust Building Skills. In the meantime, what do you think? How are you increasing your trust in your employees? I’d love to hear from you. You can call me at 561-582-6060, let’s talk. And as always, I can be reached here, or on LinkedIn.
