Five Signs You Need to Delegate More

Here’s what to look for

When we step into leadership, our work extends far beyond the team we lead. The scope of our responsibility expands exponentially. Rather than manage the work or use our functional expertise, we have to work at the organizational layer. This means we have to give things away. In other words, we have to delegate.

What happens when we don’t delegate?

• We become a blocker as the team sits idle
• Deadlines loom and pass
• The team becomes disempowered
• People stop growing
• We become more overwhelmed and less effective

Read that last one again. When we don’t delegate we become less effective.

No one wants this. No one means to hoard tasks like a squirrel storing nuts for winter. Despite this, we might find ourselves knee-deep in work and overwhelmed. Why? We may not have recognized the signs.

Here’s what leaders who need to delegate have told me.

“That project is such a mess. I don’t want to impose it on others.”

“I want to know how to do it before I give it away.”

“I can do it faster, I’ll just do it this one time.”

“I’m not sure my team is ready for this, I’d better keep it.”

“I can’t give it away, I have to stay involved to know what’s going on.”

How to Delegate More

What can we do? How can we begin to shift our behavior? We must recognize that these are not truths or reality but perspectives. To give away more, we need a mindset shift.

“That project is such a mess. I don’t want to impose it on others.”

We see it as an imposition, others might see it as a growth opportunity. This allows others to develop what Daniel Pink refers to as mastery or “The desire to get better and better at something that matters.” Mastery keeps people engaged and happy. The power of giving challenging tasks can’t be underestimated.

“I can’t give it away, I have to stay involved to know what’s going on.”