The Top 5 Excuses Leaders Use to Avoid Delegation (And How to Overcome Them)
Delegation. Few leaders will come right out and say they don't know how or that they don't have much experience with it. And the longer they have been in a leadership role, the more difficult that becomes. The truth is, delegation is hard. It takes practice. Often, early in every leader's career, the most challenging part is feeling comfortable letting go of assignments to other people. So, it is not uncommon to find leaders who have been in place for an extended period of time that struggle with the idea of delegating because they haven't done much of it.
Some of these things may sound familiar:
I don’t have time to delegate to someone else.
It will be quicker if I just do it myself.
No one can do this as well as I can, so I do it myself.
I feel bad delegating this to other people, it is not a fun job, so I keep it for myself.
I like to do this task, I don’t want to assign that to someone else.
The list could continue, but I think you get the point. There are many reasons people don’t delegate. All the examples above become very short-sighted and nearly self-serving when you consider the alternatives.
I don’t have time to delegate to someone else.
Actually, you don’t have time NOT to delegate. There isn’t enough time to do everything. Effective delegation is an exercise in time management. When done right, you can get at least two things done at the same time. That is not multitasking, it is actually creating the ability to get separate projects completed in the same period.
It will be quicker if I do it myself.
Perhaps this is true the first time, but what about all the ‘next times’? Many tasks that lend themselves to delegation are repeating items. And even if it is not the exact thing next time, the person will be familiar with the processes, tools, or requirements from earlier assignments.
No one can do this as well as I can, so I do it myself.
Uh oh. That would mean that there are serious development gaps in those around you. Are you really the best person for every task, every day? Check your ego and consider whether it is possible that someone else could do the same work as you at an equal level of quality. It could be true that initially others will not be able to do it as well as you, but in time, could they learn? Additionally, what would that free you up to do, that you truly are the best at doing?
I feel bad delegating this to other people, it is not a fun job, so I keep it for myself.
This can be a tricky one. I understand the feeling of not wanting to assign tedious work to other people. It could appear like trying to dump the lousy work off on others. You need to take a step back and evaluate why this task is necessary. One, if it serves a purpose and needs to be completed, use that as the selling point for assigning to someone else. While it may not be fun, ’it makes a difference, and I am asking you to learn this project and complete it.’ Two, if the task doesn’t seem to serve a purpose, consider whether it has to be done at all. Is it something that has always been done? Passed along from person to person in your role? This might be the opportunity to eliminate something that no longer serves a need.
I like to do this task, I don’t want to assign that to someone else.
We all have projects and tasks we enjoy doing. Similar to the note above, it may be time to take a step back and understand whether it is the best use of your time. Presumably, you have other tasks and projects you like to do, that if you could dedicate more time to, you would like even more. Plus, think about how exciting it will be to share this task you’re fond of with someone else. You are expanding their horizons, and it is exciting work, all while freeing yourself up for new items to tackle. Sounds like a win-win to me.
Don’t let yourself fall into the trap of using limiting beliefs around delegation. These are the barriers to successful long-term leadership and success. Set yourself apart from others that continue to believe that they don’t have the time to delegate or that their team is incapable of learning new things. Both only serve to hold you back from all that is possible. Move away from conventional thinking and leap to consistently positive results.
What excuse will you eliminate that prevents you from sharing more work with your team? Tell us your ideas in the comments section.
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