8♥️  Empower your team: Delegate don’t tell

As a business leader, you're often inundated with requests for decisions. While it's important to provide guidance and oversight, micromanaging every decision can hinder your team's growth and development.

Problem or challenge

Delegating effectively can be challenging, especially for leaders who are accustomed to being in control. It can be difficult to trust your team members to make sound decisions on their own.

Complexities

Delegating successfully requires a balance between providing guidance and allowing autonomy. It's essential to establish clear expectations, provide necessary resources, and offer support when needed.

Solution

Next time someone asks you for a decision, instead of giving them an answer, ask them, 'What do you think we should do?'

Show genuine curiosity and interest. They might be hesitant at first, but don't let them off the hook. Persistently ask, 'If you knew the answer, what would it be?'

Once they suggest an idea, ask, 'What's stopping you from doing that?' Often, the answer is nothing. They know what to do but are hesitant to take responsibility.

Encourage them to act. Say, 'If you believe this is the right course of action, go ahead and do it. Why are you coming to me?' This can empower them to make decisions independently.

By holding them accountable for their choices, you'll foster a culture of decision-making and confidence.

1. Encourage initiative: Foster a culture where employees feel empowered to take ownership of their work and make decisions.

2. Provide clear expectations: Define clear goals and outcomes for each task or project.

3. Offer support and guidance: Be available to provide support and guidance when needed, but avoid micromanaging.

4. Trust your team: Have faith in your team members' abilities and give them the opportunity to prove themselves.

5. Learn from mistakes: Encourage your team to learn from their mistakes and view failures as opportunities for growth.

Benefits

By delegating effectively, you can:

• Free up your time: Focus on strategic initiatives and high-level tasks.

• Develop your team: Empower your team members to grow and take on more responsibility.

• Improve decision-making: Encourage your team to make informed and timely decisions.

• Foster a culture of innovation: Create an environment where employees feel empowered to take risks and experiment.

• Enhance job satisfaction: Increase employee engagement and morale by giving them autonomy and responsibility.

Why it works

Delegating effectively empowers your team members, fosters a sense of ownership, and builds trust. It also allows you to focus on higher-level tasks, leading to improved productivity and overall business performance.

Measurement

The effectiveness of your delegation approach can be measured by:

• Increased employee engagement: Monitor employee satisfaction and morale.

• Improved decision-making: Evaluate the quality and timeliness of decisions made by your team.

• Enhanced productivity: Track changes in team productivity and output.

• Reduced micromanagement: Observe your own behaviour and identify areas where you may be overstepping boundaries.

• Employee development: Assess the growth and development of your team members over time.

My story

As my friend, and business coaching expert, Gareth Chick, says when one of your team asks you what they should do, they already know the answer 90% of the time. So why are they asking? It’s simple in my experience. There is an unconscious collaboration between your subconscious that wants you to be the hero rescuer and their subconscious brain that does not want to be accountable for what may be uncertain results. So when you tell them the answer, both of you feel good.  And the development opportunity for them has been missed and you can be sure they’ll ask you again next time. Keeping you overloaded and wondering why your team isn't more self sufficient.