Delegating felt like a relief (and a risk)

“If you want to lift yourself up, lift up someone else.” — Booker T. Washington

THE QUESTION

What future could you build by enhancing how your leaders delegate?

Delegation can feel like both a relief and a risk. On the one hand, handing off tasks lightens our workload and frees up time for higher-level priorities. On the other, trusting someone else with an important responsibility can feel daunting—what if it doesn’t get done right?

As leaders, we often believe we're effective at delegating, but there’s more to it than assigning tasks. Proper delegation empowers our teams to make decisions and solve problems independently.

Here's the issue: often, we delegate the task but not the authority, which can stifle our team's creativity and growth. We find ourselves bogged down in overseeing details while our team members miss out on opportunities to develop their leadership skills.

Effective delegation involves entrusting significant responsibilities and allowing the space for innovation. It's not just about reducing our own workload—it's about enhancing our team’s ability to operate independently and confidently.

Today, let's dive into how we can refine our delegation techniques to build not just followers who execute tasks but leaders who drive initiatives.

THE RESEARCH

Effective delegation focuses on what you do best and lets your team handle the rest. Julie Zhuo sums it up nicely: spend your time on what's critical for the organization and what you're uniquely good at. This way, you maximize your efforts and empower your team to shine in other areas.

Here’s a straightforward guide to getting delegation right:

• Ask First - Before you hand off a task, check in with your team. See who's interested and who's best suited for the job. This makes sure the right tasks are matched with the right people.
• Delegate Outcomes, Not Just Tasks - Tell your team the goal but let them figure out how to get there. This freedom boosts their creativity and problem-solving skills.
• Make it Safe to Fail - Encourage your team to take risks. If things don't go as planned, use it as a learning moment rather than a setback. Supporting them this way helps everyone grow.
• Smooth the Path - Keep an eye out for any roadblocks that could slow your team down and help clear the way. This could mean getting them the necessary tools or helping them navigate red tape.
• Reflect and Feedback - After a task is done, take some time to review how things went. Talk about what worked and didn’t, and encourage everyone to share their thoughts. This helps keep everyone learning and improving.

SOME ADVICE

Let’s rethink delegation. Often, we get caught up in handing out tasks like we’re just ticking boxes. What if we shifted to setting clear goals and letting our teams find the best paths to achieve them? This approach moves us from micromanagement to empowerment, allowing team members to take ownership and innovate.

For senior leaders, this is critical. Effective delegation doesn’t just improve efficiency; it builds future leaders capable of driving your organization forward. It ensures your teams are prepared to handle complex challenges independently.

Encourage your managers to consider: Are they merely assigning tasks, or are they empowering their teams to grow? The future of your organization depends on the answer.

YOUR HACK

Transform your delegation into a powerful tool for empowerment and growth with these detailed strategies:

Define Success Clearly for Each Role - Start by communicating clearly what success looks like for a specific project or role. This involves setting measurable outcomes and expectations. For example, instead of saying "increase sales," specify "increase sales by 15% within the next quarter through new client acquisition and upselling current clients."

Encourage Initiative with Guided Autonomy - Provide your team members with the end goals and let them chart the path to reach these goals. Offer guidelines and check-in points to help them stay on track without micromanaging each step. For instance, you might establish monthly review sessions to discuss progress, hurdles, and insights, encouraging independent problem-solving while keeping you informed.

Implement a Reverse Feedback Mechanism - Encourage your team to provide feedback on your delegation style. This can include what they need more clarity on and what they can handle more independently. Implementing such a feedback loop can refine your approach and help build a more responsive and adaptive leadership style.

Delegate Admin to AI - Enhance your team meetings with an AI meeting assistant tool that can automate the scheduling, take minutes, and track action items from each session. At Unicorn Labs, we use the Fellow.app. This tool saves time and ensures that all team members are on the same page and can focus more on critical thinking and problem-solving during meetings rather than administrative tasks.

Celebrate and Reflect on Outcomes - Make it a habit to review completed tasks or projects, discussing what went well and what could be improved. This not only helps recognize your team's efforts but also turns every delegated task into a learning opportunity for future improvement.

PARTING THOUGHTS

Let's face a hard truth about leadership: too often, leaders confuse delegation with mere task distribution. But true delegation isn't about clearing your plate—it's about enriching your team’s plate. When leaders simply hand down assignments, they miss a crucial opportunity to empower and elevate their teams.

If you're only assigning tasks, you're not really leading; you're just managing. Real leadership involves guiding your team to take ownership and initiative, transforming them into decision-makers who can carry your company’s vision forward. Every time you delegate a task without empowering the person behind it, you stifle potential innovation and growth.

So, ask yourself: Are you delegating in a way that builds leaders or just gets tasks completed? The future of your organization hinges on the answer. It's time to turn delegation into a tool for leadership development, not just a shortcut to task completion.

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Sincerely,

The Unicorn Labs Team

(P.S. We have a podcast! Check out our conversations with fellow leaders on Apple Podcasts & Spotify)

THANKS FOR YOUR SUPPORT!