Delegate

#Beingaleader means you have to learn to delegate. Your job includes finding the right person with the right skill set(s) to achieve what needs to be done. You often don’t have the time nor the right skill set(s) to get the job done yourself. You need others. Your job is to identify them and delegate the appropriate tasks to them.

#Beingaleader means you have to train those around you. You can’t expect others to step up and complete the tasks assigned to them if they are not trained to do so. Part of delegating to others is giving them the training they need to be successful. This might be via use of templates, playbooks or other documentation to make sure format and process is appropriately followed. Or it might be teaching them how best to communicate to others.

#Beingaleader means you have to trust those around you. Even if they are trained, you still have to give them a measure of trust. You have to take a risk. Especially the first time. They might fail. They might not do it exactly as you would have done it. It doesn’t matter. You need to be okay with that and take the opportunity for more training after the fact to grow them. Regardless, they need to be delegated to for the overall good of the team/project/deadline.

At the end of the day the purpose of delegating is accomplishing more than you could do by yourself. It’s growth. It’s spreading the knowledge. It’s important to building a team. It’s increasing the number of shoulders carrying the load. In some cases, the delegating of tasks or responsibilities is to others who have skill sets you don’t have. Perhaps that’s why they’ve joined your team. As a result, more is done. More is accomplished. And it’s done better.

Delegating can be hard. But it is a necessary part of #beingaleader.