Paradigm Shift- Delegation as a gift!

Are you investing your most precious resources of time, effort and energy in a way that aligns with your highest values?

No matter what your role, if you are not delegating tasks (both big and small), chances are the answer is no.

So, what is the big deal with delegation? Let’s start with a few reasons why we DON’T do it.

• “I don’t have enough time to teach someone to do it the right way”
  • possible translation- I don’t trust anyone else to do it the way I do.
• “If I pass it off there will be too many fingers in the cookie jar”
  • possible translation- I fear being seen as expendable if someone else can deliver.
• “I’m not sure exactly how I want it done and I don’t want to bring someone in last minute”
  • potential translation- I have too many tasks on my plate and am running behind on planning.
• “I’m sure s/he has a lot going on, it’s better if I finish it up”
  • possible translation- I am afraid of being seen as someone who is lazy/overpaid/underperforming/etc.
• “I can’t afford to hire someone right now”
  • potential translation- I’m not willing to give something else up to take this off my plate.

There are a lot of reasons we tell ourselves that it is better to keep the work piled on our own plate rather than burdening others with it. But what is the cost of NOT delegating the tasks to others?

Enter the three T’s- TIME. TRUST. & TRANSFORMATION.

TIME. As a manager, CEO, budding entrepreneur or parent, time is arguably your your most precious commodity. How are you choosing to spend this resource?

TRUST. It’s true that no one may get the job done like you do. How will you know if it’s possible to meet your standards (or that there is possibly a better way out there?) if you don’t give someone else the opportunity to try? On the other hand, (whether you are a leader of a corporation or a household), what is the cost of your team not trusting that you believe they are capable?

TRANSFORMATION. For every venture, there is a tipping point to success. Can yours thrive as a one contributor show?

There is a great story to describe the power of a paradigm shift by Stephen Covey (The Lighthouse Principles) if you have 5 minutes to watch.

What if we shifted our negative view of delegation to see it as a gift of experience for the recipient rather than laziness on our part? As time to focus on what will help our endeavor succeed rather than time we cannot afford to show someone else the ropes? As a right of passage for a job well done in seeing a vision come to fruition?

For every decision you say yes to, you are saying no to something else.

If you had the chance to start today all over again, what would you choose to let go of so you could say HELL YES to something else?