In praise of delegating
When you are in a leadership role, decision-making cannot be avoided. Some of the decisions you confront will be big and weighty, others not so much. You may wrestle with them, or even procrastinate to avoid taking a position. In these situations, the pressure is on! So, I want to suggest a way to alleviate some of the pressure: don’t make any decisions that could reasonably be delegated. I like to challenge the traditional thinking on leadership and authority with these words: “Push decision-making as far down the ladder as you can”.
This sentiment may strike some as dereliction of duty for a business leader. In fact, empowering your employees to make decisions is a key strategy for developing their professional skills. If this approach is a change in operations for you, take it one step at a time. As your starting point, make sure your people have a full understanding of the business, including any mission-critical information. As a leader, you can support this step by regularly communicating the mission and values of your organization in ways that leave no room for misunderstanding.
Before you take the plunge and assign decision-making responsibilities to your people, you should be aware that you will receive a variety of responses. Some team members will take the ball and run with it; but it would be a mistake to believe that everyone will be eager for the opportunity. If some people are afraid to make decisions, my advice is to just move on — do not push it. Perhaps their time will come in the future.
With a willing crew in front of you, try assigning a few decisions and then sit back to follow the progress from a distance. I bet most will work out very well – and when it does, be sure to give those team members a pat on the back for their work! I have found that when decision-making is delegated, employees tend to find their own ways to overcome barriers. They study and research the issues, then build a path forward. And usually, employees who are empowered to make decisions for the organization will do everything they can to work through the obstacles on their own before coming to you for help. The bottom line is that delegation allows your team members to develop their own self-confidence.
After you have success with a few of your people, expand the delegation process to others. Remember that a clear understanding of the mission and values of the business is essential to solid decision-making. As you expand the process, your employees will begin to feel more skilled in their work – and with fewer decisions on your plate, you should have more time to analyze the efficiency of your operation and develop your future plans.
If you accept my challenge, I’ll bet that the most rewarding outcome of all will be an increased respect for you among your team members, who now know just how much you trust them.
