Leading and Delegating: A Symbiotic Relationship
Effective leadership and delegation are two sides of the same coin, essential for any successful team, organisation or movement. At their core, both practices revolve around the ability to empower others and ensure that work is executed efficiently and effectively.
Challenges while delegating
Delegating effectively is challenging for several reasons. Leaders may often struggle with letting go of control, being worried that the job done won’t be up to their standards or maybe important details will be overlooked. Sometimes choosing tasks to delegate and handing them over to the right people may also be daunting. Let’s assume that you’re a wedding photographer, and you have an upcoming event. There are many pieces to this event that it’s nearly impossible to do everything by yourself. And so you consider to delegate some aspects of it. Some of the questions that may arise for you can be: Should you shoot the photos or the video? Should you edit the photos or be the one to filter them? And if you delegate, will you be continuously worried about the results you get?
Delegation is a delicate process. As a leader, it requires you to have clarity not just on the vision but also on the quality of the outcome that you expect from your team. Also, it requires you to guide your team so they can deliver on the task. If we continue with the example of the wedding photographer, let’s say there are over 5,000 shots that have been taken in the 2-hour event and you can’t possibly spend time filtering, so you assign someone on the team to do it. Your idea of the perfect shot is candid, and carefree whereas the team member think’s the shots should be posed, and extremely curated.. When you delegate the task, it will require you to spend time and effort to guide your team on your criteria for photos selection to ensure that you get the quality of results you expect from them.
As with photographers, so with many other leaders, leading across different specialisms and geographies delegation comes with its own set of challenges from time required to be spent, clarity on the vision and the outcomes, to being available to steer the team in the right direction.
The intertwined relationship
Delegation is not a straightforward task – it isn’t just about assigning responsibilities to others. In fact, it requires a rather nuanced approach. The relationship between leading and delegating is deeply intertwined; one simply cannot thrive without the other.
As Katy Barrow-Grint, a UK police officer, aptly puts it in her episode on delegating on the Women Emerging podcast, “You can delegate down, or you can delegate wide and outwards as well.” In the episode, Katy talks about how delegation involves understanding the strengths and weaknesses of your team and distributing tasks in a way that maximises their potential. Katy also emphasises that delegation depends on the role you're in, the problem you're facing, and the expectations of those around you. In her role, the risk of delegating is high. As a police officer, she feels extremely responsible while delegating, which initially led her to delegate very selectively. In the episode, Katy also discusses when you should not be delegating. For her, communication is the one thing that stands out. Delivering bad news is something she says should be sparingly delegated as communication tends to get lost along the way and it’s good for a leader to be the one who is putting up the front.
According to her, clear expectations are key - when people know exactly what's required of them, it fosters trust and empowerment, allowing them to take ownership. Katy believes in building a strong team by giving people the space to make mistakes, make their own decisions, and grow into leadership roles. Interestingly, she admits she wasn’t always good at delegating, often saying yes to too many responsibilities herself before learning to effectively pass them on. This is natural and true for most leaders today!
How to effectively delegate
Delegation is not just about handing off tasks but about setting up a framework where it leads to growth and productivity. This involves:
Clear Communication: Clearly articulate the objectives, expectations, and desired outcomes for the tasks being delegated. Ambiguity can lead to confusion and inefficiency.
Empowering Team Members: Provide the necessary resources and authority for team members to complete their tasks. Trusting them with responsibility is crucial for their development and for the overall success of the project.
Monitoring and Support: Regularly check in on progress without micromanaging. Offer support and guidance as needed and be open to feedback.
Adjusting Delegation: Be prepared to adjust delegation strategies based on the evolving needs of the team and the project. Flexibility is key to maintaining effectiveness.
Reflections from Leadership Insights
According to Elsa Donohue, Head of the Vientiane International School, “Leading can’t be done alone.” The podcast episode where Elsa was our guest, highlights the essence of delegation in leadership. Elsa led the school during a very traumatic event, through a deep sense of injustice. She shares that delegating the right thing is extremely important. What she learnt, echoes what Katy Barrow says above: to avoid delegating important communication. In her case, communicating with parents and faculty during this extremely sensitive period was important and something that could not have been delegated. Effective leadership involves not just delegating but also knowing when it is not the right time or the right task to delegate.
In a really interesting episode on partnership with Julia Prescot, she offers some good lessons about delegating. Partnerships and collaborations are often assumed to need less leading, but the reality is that it’s important for everyone to agree on a common direction or a goal. This is synonymous with that of delegating. Leaders need to provide passion and energy to make a partnership come together and need to do the same in order to effectively delegate a task. "You don’t order them to do it, you bring them to it,” says Julia. When delegating, it's not about commanding or making others ‘fall in line.’ It’s about rallying the group together, even when they may not fully believe in themselves, and guiding them toward the goal.
In conclusion, the art of leading and delegating goes hand in hand. By understanding and embracing the relationship between these two, leaders can create a more dynamic and effective team environment. Effective delegation is not just about passing off tasks; it’s about empowering your team to contribute their best and achieve collective goals.