Master Delegation: Lead Your Team to Success

Hey, Leader —

One of the toughest transitions new leaders deal with is the mindset shift when you’re trying to get from acting (or doing) to training or coaching(leading).

Actually, this isn’t just a “new leader” thing. All leaders struggle with this shift, no matter how long you’ve led a team.

Why? Well, a big part of it is because most leaders begin as individual contributors. As an employee, you most likely got promoted to management because you were crushing your role. After that promotion, you needed to recalibrate—quickly—from someone with a very specific job description & functional expertise to someone who is now responsible for, well…everything.

(By the way, we talk about this more in this blog, if you’re interested.)

We know we don’t have to tell you this, but: it’s a little daunting. Okay, a lot daunting. We wouldn’t blame you if you wanted to do one of these:

It’s also why we don’t blame you if you’re still holding on to much of the work that you could be delegating to your team. You’re a “roll-up-your-sleeves-and-tackle-it-myself” kind of person, right? Isn’t that what a leader is—someone who does what needs to get done? 

In the short term? Maybe. But in the long term, doing ALL THE THINGS is going to catch up to you.  

You know what I’m going to say, right? You need to delegate. Not only does delegation make you a better leader, it also helps others on your team to realize more of their greatness, too.  

This Harvard Business Review article says it so much better than we ever could: “While it may seem difficult, elevating your impact requires you to embrace an unavoidable leadership paradox: You need to be more essential & less involved. When you justify your hold on work, you’re confusing being involved with being essential.” 

Here’s why it’s so critical to delegate: 

• Delegation offers opportunities for skill development among your team, helping them learn, practice new skills, & take on new challenges. 

• It empowers your teams, too. Delegation signals trust, & when your people feel you trust them, it leads to more job satisfaction. 

• When you delegate, you can focus on the high-level activities you love to do—& are in your Zone of Genius! 

• It improves decision-making, because others can have autonomy over their work & make decisions. 

The question is: how do you actually do it, & do it effectively?  

The answer is exactly what we’re covering in this month’s Culture Community: “Delegate With Purpose: Empower Your Team With Clarity & Confidence.” Our own Steph Llano is going to be sharing specific delegation strategies around investing in your team, coaching up by providing knowledge & tools, creating safe spaces to learn & take risks, & setting high (& clear!) expectations.

“When I coach leaders on delegation, what I notice is that they struggle with delegation because they don’t want to be seen as someone who needs help. You really need to shift that mindset before you can dive into any delegation,” Steph says. Heck YES.