Great leaders who are effective delegators create a culture of open and honest discussion.
It isn’t about losing sight of what their team are doing – as mentioned in my post yesterday, leaders who delegate do need to follow up and have systems and processes in place to keep track of who is doing what.
We can often be confused about what delegation actually means. Leaders may feel that delegating is either letting go completely, or continuing to hold on to what they do.
This either / or notion can create fear. We may fear we will be made redundant. Or imagine what might happen if team members actually do a better job of it than we could!
As team members seek more autonomy (a must to have in high performing teams) leaders may hold on even more tightly.
When we do delegate we must also stay open to different ways of doing the work. Being prepared to let go of ‘our’ way to allow team members to come up with their own (and different) ways, is crucial.
What do you do to let go of 'your' way of doing things?