What do you do if you want to enhance your leadership skills through delegation?

Only a DIVERSE TEAM helps you and your business offer the RIGHT service, for the RIGHT customer, at the RIGHT time. Different people/ devisions/ companies have different needs. They SEE / FEEL / EXPERIENCE things differently and want you do FULFIL THEIR NEEDS accordingly. Having a DIVERSE TEAM to start with, makes DETECTING and SERVICING those needs an INTEGRAL PART of your COMPANY CULTURE! I call this: BIAS PROFF DELEGATION! DIVERSIFY and see more, service better and deliver smarter than before. Do not "just" delegate to "substitute" . DELEGATE TO GROW!

So, imagine you're the leader of a team, like the captain of a soccer team. You want to be a really good captain, right? Well, to be a great leader, you need to learn how to share tasks with your teammates. First, take a good look at what needs to be done. Some tasks are like kicking the ball to score a goal - only you can do them. But other tasks, like passing the ball or defending the goal, can be done by others. Next, think about your teammates. Everyone has different strengths and weaknesses, just like some players are better at kicking and others are better at defending. So, you want to give tasks to the right person - the one who can do it best and who can learn from it. Remember, not every task is the same.

Essentially understanding your team’s personal development plans and then intentionally honing in on them as a guiding principle to mentor them into gaining the experience to develop and be confident in new skills. Each person grows differently and wants different things. So be true. Be personal and treat each member according to their development gaps and opportunities and provide support from the side lines. Don’t helicopter manage and let them pave the way.

Begin by evaluating your team's strengths, weaknesses, and workload. Identify tasks that you can delegate which match your team members’ skills and career aspirations. This not only ensures that tasks are completed efficiently but also aids in the personal development of your team members.

Implement a "Delegation Swap" initiative where team members exchange responsibilities for a day. This fosters cross-training, builds empathy, and encourages a deeper understanding of each other's roles while enhancing leadership skills through adaptability and collaboration.

Bake accountability into your expectations. Each person should understand "their part" and how it fits into the whole. You'll waste no time with confusion over ownership or people not wanting to step on toes.

Once the right resources are identified it is important to shift authority along with accountability. It also should be the best person for the task, not necessarily the most senior or experienced.

Let's say you're organizing a party with your friends. You want to make it awesome, so you decide to split up the tasks. You ask one friend to bring snacks, another to pick out music, and someone else to decorate. Now, if you just tell them what to do without explaining when you need it or why it's important, they might not do it the way you want or on time. So, you sit down with each friend and explain everything clearly: "I need the snacks by 4 PM because that's when people will start arriving. The music should be fun and upbeat to keep the party lively. And the decorations should match our theme so the place looks cool. That way, your party turns out awesome because everyone's on the same page!

Clearly communicate your expectations when delegating tasks. This includes defining the outcome, the timeline, the scope of responsibility, and the level of authority the team member has. Setting clear expectations helps prevent misunderstandings and ensures accountability.

In everything you do, start with "why." If you, and the person you are delegating to, both understand why they are in that role, it opens up communication in a way that will allow you both to be successful. Sometimes we can get caught up thinking that creating a framework can hinder creativity, when in actuality a set of clearly defined guidelines allows a team member to spread their wings confidently, without second guessing.

You didn't become a leader just to be a glorified micromanager. Stop breathing down everyone's necks and treat delegation like a trust fall... except instead of awkwardly falling backwards, you're casually tossing responsibilities to your capable team. Empower them with authority, autonomy, and absolutely zero of those nagging "checking in for the 3rd time today" emails. Unless the building's on fire, let them run freely and focus that control-freak energy on literally anything else. Like nominating an "Employee of the Fortnight" or something.

You're the leader of a team that creates awesome content, like videos, articles, and social media posts. Keep these thing in your mind that your team shuld have - Trust and Autonomy - Encourage Creativity - Foster Innovation - Boost Confidence and Engagement - Cultivate Accountability - Achieve Collective Success

Delegation is more than just assigning tasks; it's about empowering your team to take ownership and excel. By entrusting responsibilities, you not only lighten your load but also cultivate a culture of trust and growth. Empowered teams flourish when given autonomy, leading to innovation and collective success.

Empowerment is key to effective delegation. Provide the necessary resources and authority needed for team members to execute their tasks. Empowerment also involves trusting your team to make decisions within the scope of their responsibilities, which enhances their confidence and growth.

If you are not empowered, you will not empower others. If the CEO does not share your vision as a Creative Leader, it could be time to move on. Sometimes a lack of trust in team leaders leads to the job philosophy of relinquishing control, which is then propagated as the standard behaviour.

Effective delegation means giving tasks to others and keeping track of how they're doing without being too bossy. Here's how you can do it: Assign tasks: Give people jobs to do that match their skills and abilities. Make sure they know what they need to do and when it needs to be done by. Check in regularly: Have meetings or quick chats to see how things are going. Ask if they need any help or if there are any problems. Offer support: If someone is struggling or needs advice, be there to help them out. Give them the tools they need to succeed. Trust your team: Let people do their work without hovering over them all the time. Trust that they'll get it done right. By doing these things, you can make sure that tasks done well & on time

Keep track of progress without micromanaging. Establish regular check-ins to discuss challenges and achievements. This helps you provide guidance when necessary and stay informed about the project’s progress.

Feedback is crucial when building a team of leaders. If we don't know why something didn't work, we don't know how to pivot and make adjustments. Sure, it's always easier to point out a success than it is to suggest something didn't hit the mark, but creating the trust with your team that feedback is designed to make everyone better will, in the long run, do just that.

Feedback is super important when you're delegating tasks to others. Here's why: - Recognize achievements: Acknowledge good work to show appreciation and motivation. - Offer guidance: Provide constructive advice to help team members improve. - Be open: Listen to team input for continuous improvement. By giving feedback, you show you care about their growth and success.

Start with asking the right questions in your feedback. As a leader you probably have the answer but your staff doesn’t learn from only knowing what to do, but in how to get there. Guide them with questions that you have already subconsciously answered. ‘Lead’ them to the solutions and bask in the different outcomes they provide that solve for the problems in ways you might have never thought of.

Offer constructive feedback throughout the process, not just at the end. Positive reinforcement encourages good performance, while constructive criticism helps in correcting course early and effectively.

After the task is completed, reflect on what went well and what could be improved. Discuss this with your team to learn from each experience. Adjust your delegation strategy based on these insights to improve future outcomes.

The only good delegator is a humble delegator. Regularly take a beat to honestly assess what's working and what's...well, basically self-sabotage. Are you assigning too much? Not providing enough context? Expecting mind-reading abilities? Get cozy with those brutal truths and adjust accordingly, even if it means extra training or ripping off that delegation band-aid a little more slowly. And for Pete's sake, if someone's struggling, don't just let them flail! That's like spotting someone at the gym and then wandering off for a protein shake.

With great delegation comes great responsibility to not completely check out. Managers who become next-level delegators must evolve into Master Strategy Guiders. Think of yourself as air traffic control – you're not piloting any individual plane, but providing vital navigation. Ask big-picture questions, remove roadblocks, and make sure all flights are headed towards deliverables finally landing safely. Just, you know, with less of the stressful threat of mass casualties if you slip up. No pressure!

Enhancing your leadership skills through delegation can be illustrated by the approach taken by Richard Branson, the founder of Virgin Group. Branson is known for building successful businesses by empowering his team through delegation. He trusts his employees to take charge of various Virgin ventures, allowing them to make key decisions while he focuses on the broader vision. To enhance your leadership skills through delegation, follow Branson's lead by identifying tasks or projects that can be assigned to team members based on their strengths and expertise. Provide clear guidance and set expectations, give them the autonomy to manage their work.

Recognize and reward the efforts of your team members. This not only boosts morale but also reinforces the value of taking initiative and responsibility. Also, be open to receiving feedback on your own leadership and delegation style, as continuous personal improvement is crucial for effective leadership.

So, how exactly can you enhance your leadership skills through delegation? My personal winner is: Empower with Autonomy Challenge your team with something that gets them excited. It might be beyond their experience, but they feel motivated to get started. Most importantly,- give full autonomy. Allow them to create their strategy and execution. Create space for failure and reflect on made choices. Results?! The team might get more motivated to work because you created an equation that initiative=reward You might also find inspirations and new takeaways from your traditional processes.

Get involved, but get involved well, without being intrusive. Provide constructive feedback, contribute your ideas, integrate with your entire team, be present, look out for their needs, and be aware of their emotional states. This is the best way to achieve that level of respect where they will feel happy to collaborate with you and help you with the tasks you delegate to them.