Delegation Is a Risky, But Necessary Business

Posted by amabaie under Human Resources
From http://www.workplacecommunicationexpert.com 4732 days ago
Made Hot by: mywifequitherjob on May 2, 2011 9:46 pm

The reason this is so challenging for leaders at all levels of experience is due to the risk involved with letting go. Because, one of the cardinal rules of delegation is that even though you are letting go of the process of achieving a certain objective, you are not letting go of the responsibility for achieving that objective.

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Comments

Written by SkipWeisman
4730 days ago

Thanks for all your comments on my article. I'm pleased you all found value in it. Susan, you are absolutely right that delegation is not abdication as the person delegating still has ultimate responsibility for the results of the task/project, etc.

David, I, too, heard that similar quote from Bill Walsh and he is so right! His approach is a sign of strong self-esteem and self-worth. Too many leaders have amazingly low levels of self-esteem causing them to surround themselves with people who will not threaten them and thus their teams are not nearly as effective. Great leaders, with high levels of self-esteem and self-confidence hire the best people to which they can hand things off and let it go and know it will get done much more effectively than if they had to micro-manage things.

When I first started this blog in November, 2009 I wrote 52 "Champion Leadership Tips" over the first year, one of them was "The 4 Rules for Effective Delegation" you can read more about it here http://www.workplacecommunicationexpert.com/?p=482

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Written by yoni67
4730 days ago

Skip,

It was indeed a great article and deserving of a space on the HOT Topics page.

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Written by swssem
4731 days ago

So, so true for a small biz owner. Delegating early is key, and letting junior folks take on big challenges when there's room to fail does wonders for building their confidence and skills. Not only does this work in business (and apparently in sports) but, as a mom, I can tell you it also works wonders in parenting!

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Written by m4bmarketing
4732 days ago

Liked the article David and one I have learnt is to be able to differentiate between delegation and abdication. Also when you delegate you can learn a lot from those you pass on the authority and responsibility to.

Susan

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Written by ankurdhoom
4731 days ago

me too liked it.

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Written by saraib820
4732 days ago

David,

Thank you for your wisdom and insight. You are a gentleman and a scholar. And you live in the land of Moosehead beer. One of our favorite beers at the University of Maryland long ago.

R.

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Written by yoni67
4732 days ago

David,

I heard a great interview with the 49ers coach Bill Walsh while the team was at the height of their football success. 1990s? The interviewer asked Walsh "What do you do to be so successful?"

His reply? He said he barely does anything. HUH? He went on to explain that his methodology as head coach was surrounding himself with other coaches below, subordinates, all specialists in their own fields (offense, defense, special teams, running, kicking, etc.) and letting them do their jobs.

I'm not big into delegation, but he sounded VERY convincing!

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