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Learning to delegate will help you keep great people.
By Jenna Spencer
If you search Google for the definition of a leader, you’ll find tons of answers. All of those answers have one root meaning: to lead others. A leader is in charge of leading people, no matter the industry or business.
My passion for delegation is fueled by this very definition. There are many ways delegation helps your people grow, but did you know it can help you grow as a leader as well? This article will show you why delegation should be one of the core tools in your leadership tool belt.
Being in the delegation business for almost a decade now, here are the top three ways delegation can serve you:
- Helps you keep great people
- Creates space for success
- Promotes growth
Delegation can help you keep great people. As we delegate, we are providing so many opportunities for our team members to grow. They are learning new skills and responsibilities, and they are learning to expand and grow in their abilities and roles. These team members then have the opportunity to gain confidence and bring their ideas to the table. Great people want responsibility. Great leaders want great people. Delegation is the tool to tackle both of these at the same time. It’s the practice of continuing to develop people into great leaders.
Delegation creates space for success. I have yet to meet a successful leader that is looking to fill up a free bucket of time in their schedules each week.
Leaders need more time. You need the time and space to think high-level and create more opportunities for your company. There are tons of statistics on leadership burnout. By embracing delegation and equipping your people to do great things for you, you can create the time and space in your schedule to operate at the level you need for your business without burning the candle at both ends.
Delegation promotes growth. If you are delegating to, and keeping, great people and creating time to think high level, your business will grow. You’ll then have the opportunity to lead from a higher level all the time. What would it look like if you could delegate an entire project instead of pieces of it? What could you focus on if you trusted that everything was being done well and you only needed high-level updates and regular reviews? How much faster could your company move if you were able to delegate quickly and efficiently to people that are used to taking on new responsibilities regularly?
Adopting a great delegation practice is vital to your success as a leader. It’s even more vital if you want to be the best leader possible. You’re already leading people. Why not keep those great people, create space and achieve the growth you want? Delegation is the answer.
Three steps to delegate
Brain dump a list of items you’d like to get off your plate. Pick three that would have the biggest immediate impact to your schedule but would not be too difficult to hand off in 30 days.
Write the answer to this question: “What does it look like when this has been successfully delegated to someone else?” Take your time and think about the details here.
Transfer this information to the person to whom you are delegating, answer their questions, and set a weekly meeting to review until you are confident they own the new items.
Jenna Spencer is CEO of AssistPro, a business that offers tailored, U.S.-based, executive virtual assistant services for business coaches, entrepreneurs and visionaries to help them grow personally and professionally. “I am passionate about teaching delegation. After founding and scaling a company providing assistant services, I created Delegation Mastery. This process helps leaders gain freedom in their lives and growth in their businesses through the mastery of delegation.” To sign up for a course, visit delegationworks.com/join.