BRX Pro Tip: Delegate, Don’t Abdicate
Stone Payton: And we’re back with Business RadioX Pro Tips, Lee Kantor and Stone Payton here with you. Lee, talk to me a little bit about delegation, what you’re learning, what you’re trying to do with regard to delegation.
Lee Kantor: I think delegation is one of the key things that any leader has to get good at. And it’s one of the traps, especially if you’re a solopreneur, you think you’re the only one who can do something or you can do it the best, why bother teaching someone else. And so, delegation is a key skill that you have to kind of master. But mastering a delegation is different. You don’t want to abdicate everything. You want to delegate everything and encourage someone to do the task. But you can’t kind of wash your hands of the task. You have to kind of transfer the responsibility, but you have to stay engaged to a certain degree.
Lee Kantor: Obviously, once the person kind of has proven that they can do it, you can kind of wash your hands of the task a little bit more. But at first, you definitely can’t just say, here, do this, and then never think about it again. You still have to stay engaged. So, it’s important when you’re kind of transferring the task to somebody else, you set clear expectations, you establish checkpoints, and you have to be available to coach them when needed.
Lee Kantor: Abdicating means kind of assigning the task and then walking away and hoping it works out. That’s not a good strategy. Delegation, if you do it right, is going to develop your person. It’s going to give them more confidence, more skills. They can take on more responsibility. If you’re abdicating, all you’re going to do is become frustrated, because they’re not going to do the task the way you want and then you’re going to kind of build resentment. So, that’s not a great plan.
Lee Kantor: So, definitely delegate more. Definitely don’t abdicate more. And today, if I was going to give you one piece of advice or one action to take, it’s just pick one task that you’ve delegated and ask yourself, have I given this person all the support they need in order to be successful? You know, don’t delegate that part of leadership.
