This is the conclusion we came to a few days ago during a discussion in a training group. The participant discussed that as a manager he tends to take responsibility into his own hands, to be a constant hand in the machine of what team members do. Because then things are well done, they fit into the big picture and the driver can see and manage them. This is a challenge for many people who have just moved from specialist to manager. It was there for me for a very long time and it still is in some threads.
But if a manager takes things too much on his or her own shoulders, and trust (also known as delegation) among team members is not yet very high, then it is ultimately irresponsible – namely, it is a very high staff risk.
If that leader were to leave for one reason or another, the team and the organisation would be left in the lurch. But a driver must be able to foresee such a situation (because it will happen one day anyway) and such carelessness can have serious consequences.
Failure to delegate, where the other person can learn from their mistakes, is also selfish. But it’s a leader’s job to support their people’s development. By not giving responsibility and by not delegating responsibility, a leader’s personal egotistical ambitions are greater than his willingness to support the development of another person. And as we all know, we can evolve through mistakes and personal lessons learned.
What helped me to overcome this was the very same “don’t be selfish” principle that my manager at the time taught me as a novice manager. And also the golden rule of delegation – if you feel that someone else could handle 70% of the task, delegate. Then the result is good enough, and the other has had the opportunity to make mistakes and learn from them. Just as you were given the opportunity to learn and experience, it is now your role as a leader to pass that opportunity on.
Summer holidays are a great time to practice delegating responsibility and building trust in your team. Have fun trusting and thus live life more easily!
