EP109: Optimizing Your Time - The Art + Science of Delegation
OTHERS CAN HELP!
Delegation is not a sign of failure - it’s an effective leadership skill.
Enjoy!
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(The notes below are only a brief summary of what is discussed in the podcast. Be sure to listen to get all of the goodness! If you would like a full transcription of the episode, please send an email request to: angie@angie-robinson.com. We’d be happy to provide that!)
In this episode, we're diving deep into the art and science of delegation.
I think most of us can agree that really being able to use our time wisely is an important skill, especially in leadership or entrepreneurship roles. One skill and behavior that is useful and critical to anyone in that managerial leadership role is that of delegating. Delegation is a significant contributor to optimizing your time because it means shifting authority and responsibility for particular functions, tasks, or decisions from one person, usually a leader or a manager, to another.
So when you're redirecting some of your work to others, that naturally opens up some of your time, allowing you to focus on high-priority tasks. However, I know that it is not always that easy, and so we're going to get into that and cover some tips on how to delegate.
As I grew in my leadership roles, I got better with delegating, and there's several reasons for that as well. One of which is because I put optimizing my time higher on the list of necessities. As you grow in position and performance, it does seem that the responsibilities grow too.
In this episode, I am mainly talking about the importance of, and the benefits of, delegating as a contributing factor to optimizing your time. But there are other benefits as well that are worth mentioning, including the reduction of stress and potential burnout.
The Struggles of Delegation
Sometimes people struggle with delegation. I know this to be true because I actually struggled with it for a period of time in my leadership.
Here are some of the common struggles:
Transitioning from an individual contributor to a manager / leader.
Perfectionism
Lack of trust in others
Fear of losing control
Insecurity
Don’t want to burden others
Want people to like you
Lack of time for training
Past experiences that weren’t positive
Every single one of those struggles, at the core, is a thought. And the good news is that all thoughts are optional.
These are some of the common thoughts that can get in the way of effective delegation:
“No one can do this as well as me.”
“I'm the only one that can do this.”
“I'm not confident that they have the ability to do the task.”
“I've been burned before.”
“They don't want more work. They're already too busy.”
I have such a belief in the power of our mindset. If we can work on those thoughts, then we can actually work on changing how we show up, changing our behaviors, changing our beliefs about delegation.
Tips for Delegation
Be aware of your thoughts. In addition to the examples of unhelpful thoughts shared above, check in on what you make it mean about yourself when you delegate.
Retrain your brain. When you start to believe new, helpful thoughts = you will start to create evidence to support them. The more your retrain your brain – the more your actions and behaviors will change. Be sure to give equal airtime to what could be possible for you. Spend less time worrying about what they can’t do and focus more on what you can do.
Be committed to creating an environment of collaboration, development, trust (even when there is failure), feedback and support. This will be very important if you want the delegation efforts to be effective and successful.
Identify people (or systems) to delegate to. Match the task with others’ strengths or even their area of improvement (what a great development opportunity!)
When delegating - share the why and be clear. This iwill help others understand the purpose behind the task. You must also be very clear around expectations and follow-up.
What if you don’t have anyone to delegate to?
Remember that as a leader, your #1 is to develop people. You are expected to get results with people / through people.
By delegating, you are opening up space for yourself to better optimize your time (and hopefully your mental energy). You are developing people and creating an environment of engagement, trust, and where failure is okay,
As a side note - there are other skills that are helpful in order to be good at delegation, such as:
Ability to prioritize
Understanding team members
Communication skills (clarity, active listening, feedback)
Building trust
Making decisions
Holding others accountable
Delegating may not be a skill you were born with, but just like every other important skill, we can learn better ways to lead. Putting in a little effort and intentionality will pay dividends for you and your organization – and for optimizing your time.
What Do You Think?
How are you able to effectively delegate?
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