Recent Newsletters
November 2009 -
How to Empower Yourself with the Art of Delegating
We often hear people suggest delegating some of our responsibilities when we are overloaded. Yet few of us know how to delegate in a way that will empower ourselves and the person we delegate.
Let go of the control. The first ingredient needed to delegate successfully, is a willingness to give up control of the task. Be prepared to accept that the way another person chooses to get the task done might be a different than your own style of getting things done.
Explain the results you are expecting, and the timelines for the task to be completed. Let’s say you delegate the chore of washing the dinner dishes to your teenage daughter. You need to explain your wish to have all the dishes cleaned within one hour after supper is finished. Your concise direction makes your expectations clear. However, be open and invite your daughter’s input. Perhaps she wants an hour and a half to finish washing the dishes. The important thing is to agree on the results and timelines... clarity goes along way here.
Freely share any wisdom gained from your experience, so your delegate can learn from your mistakes and perhaps avoid them. Openly discussing you own past failings may make you more approachable in case they need help.
Let the person know if there are resources they can tap into and when you are available should they need to talk to you. For example, “the people in Human Resources would have the most up to date list of all the committee members. If you need me for any reason the best time to talk to me is first thing in the morning.”
Let your delegate know the positive and negative consequences of doing the task or chore, well or poorly. For example, if your teenager does the dishes properly and on time every night that week, she may get to go out on Saturday night. If the chore is done poorly, she may lose this privilege.
Now it’s time to let go and empower your delegate to do their job. Show that you have confidence in them by not asking them how it’s going, unless they bring it up, or you sense they really need or want your help.
Giving up control of a task, when you already have too much responsibility is self-empowering. The person you delegated the task to may also feel empowered by your clear confidence in them and their abilities. Letting go of some of the control that we all feel the need to have, especially when we are on overload, is one of the most empowering things we can do to regain a sense of balance in our lives.