Why Am I So Afraid To Delegate?

Delegation is NOT for dummies. But you are a dummy if you don’t delegate.

I know the word dummy can be quite harsh, but you’re working harder, not smarter when you choose not to delegate.

Let’s review…shall we?

You get the vision.

You brainstorm and strategize.

You do the research.

You write out the program.

Then, you present to your staff.

And, then it happens: you tell them what YOU’RE going to do, but you don’t tell them what they are going to do to HELP you make this program run smoothly.

And the dummy behaviors kick in…

>>>Up late burning the midnight oil because you just had to do it all yourself.  

>>>Running around before the meeting to grab copies from the printer.

>>>Being the leader, team, and judge & jury all by yourself

You would ask your staff member, but they “never get it right” or they don’t volunteer because they know you will do it yourself. You want to let things go, so you can have more time to work on your stuff, but you’re frustrated and unhappy and can’t seem to find your rhythm.

Sound familiar?

Why is delegating so darn HARD?

I could write a whole dissertation, but I’ll boil it down to two words.

Fear and Trust.

I have to admit that while I know leaders have been leading for centuries, we can name soooo many who just…suck! And it doesn’t seem to stop terrible people from being in charge. It doesn’t keep well meaning business owners and leaders from micromanaging and then drowning in overwhelm. Doing everything yourself may work for some people but I’ve only see it work long term for a handful of people. And they are usually not all that nice. Okay…they are bitter and cranky and not fun at all.

This whole idea about fear and trust really hit home. For years, I was unknowingly sabotaging myself by not being able to delegate. I would do things like give my team assignments but not give them a clear sense of what success looked like. I would check in too frequently (literally breathing down their neck) or give them so much space I didn’t know what was happening on their projects (or when they were in trouble). I would take tasks back (can you BELIEVE THAT) because I thought it was easier to just “do it myself”. Then I’d be at home burning the midnight oil late at night; eyes burning and resentful of not having a team that could handle the work.

WHAAAAAAAT!?! What kinda of madness was this?

Since I’m a “take action” kinda gal, I decided to do something about it.

I decided to put myself through delegation training. Delegation training is simple, but it’s not easy.

1. Determine the team players.

2. Share the vision with the team players.

3. Develop the system.

4. Delegate the moving parts that keep the system running.

This is the gist of it. Wanna know more about delegation training?  Shoot me a message or come to Kish Camp – my (virtual) management masterclass for managers looking to grow their skills and lead with confidence! I dig deep into the nuts and bolts there!  Camp starts soon so sign up here.