Why Don't We Delegate More?

Delegation is a strategy and if we fail to leverage its potential our organizations suffer.

Business leaders and managers don’t delegate because they:

Believe nobody can do it better than they can
· Fear others will believe they (the leaders) are expendable
· Leave deliverables too late to explain to others what is needed
· Fail to build competency in their organization
· Fail to build capacity in their organization

There are three key reasons to delegate:

1. If you are a leader who does not delegate, you are leaving your company open to ‘bus risk’… the unpleasant consequences if a bus hits you.
2. You are also suppressing growth opportunities for staff, which will result in employee attrition due to lack of challenge and opportunity.
3. You are frittering away your time handling marginal activities, distracting you from a more strategic focus.

It’s not enough to commit to delegation yourself, although setting a good example is a great idea. Make delegation a strategic priority throughout the organization:

· Ensure that delegation isn’t seen or practiced as a dump where managers slough off menial tasks to their subordinates
· Review job descriptions looking for activities that can be delegated
· Identify individuals with the skills or potential to undertake more work, especially stretch assignments
· Add delegation as a talking point in your staff coaching sessions: