Mastering Delegation as an Impact Multiplier

Delegation - a Critical Leadership Tool

Delegation can unleash the power of your organization by harnessing talent at all levels. When leaders skillfully and intentionally assign work to others it empowers and engages them which leads to higher performance for the team and the organization. Delegation is a critical foundational component of a leader’s role and should evolve with the growth of the leader.

Why Leaders Hesitate

Some leaders find delegating easier to do than others. There may be several reasons for this. First, it requires giving up some control. They may have the belief that it is just easier to do things for themselves. Second, there may be a lack of trust that others can accomplish the work. This can be particularly true if the leader is a perfectionist. Third, there may be reluctance to be perceived as pushing responsibility onto other team members.

Benefits of Delegation

Without delegation, leaders limit their capacity to impact.  It limits the capacity of the team to increase their impact as well.  Additionally, the leader will soon find themselves overloaded and stressed, which further erodes performance and impact.

Conversely, look at the benefits of this crucial skill: 

• Creates space for the leader to increase their strategic thinking and actions

• Allows others to take on new responsibilities and grow in their role

• Taps into the diversity of the team

• Increases organizational productivity and impact

A leader who can find that right balance between doing certain work themselves and delegating to others will be more effective. A leader that masters this competency will see a multiplier effect in their impact.

 Intentional Delegation

Once the decision has been made to delegate, there are several approaches that can be utilized, depending on the objective and the people involved. Surbhi Mahnot has identified five delegation approaches to consider as leaders grow and master this competency. As the leader and the team members mature, the most successful leaders will strive to move down this list to optimize delegation and broaden their impact.

1.     Instructional

• Give direct and specific instructions

• Best used when team members are new and need tactical support

2.     Seek Suggestions

• Solicit advice from those to whom you will be delegating

• Best used when tasks can be used for team member growth opportunities and to gain deeper buy-in

3.     Decide Together

• Collaborate on solutions

• Best used when there is established trust in team members and desire to capitalize on diversity

4.     Generate Plan of Action Together

• Support your team from a high level only

• Best used when increasing capacity of team across multiple, competing projects

5.     Act Independently

• Relinquish control over details of project while maintaining clarity of purpose

• Best used when grooming a successor and/or it is a high-performing team 

Unleashing the Power of Delegation

Leaders that can master multiple uses of delegation will find that they are maximizing results for themselves and their teams. Highly successful leaders have the competence to recognize which delegation approach to employ based on the objective and the people involved. In this way, both the leader and the teams grow in their roles, ultimately expanding their impact to the organization.

Contact MBM ELEVATE when you are ready to explore practical techniques that focus on delegation for developing increased leadership agility for you and your team.

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Mary Beth Molloy

Certified Executive Coach and Business Consultant, she delivers uncanny focus on the intersection of your business vision and goals and the leaders you’ve entrusted to achieve them.

She knows what it takes to accelerate and elevate business results through leadership development and performance. It’s her powerful blend of these experiences together with her practicality, purpose, and positivity that drive our value.

Mary Beth is interested in hearing from you. | Follow on LinkedIn  | Share comments or ask questions

Frank or Diplomatic: Which is a More Effective Communication Style?

It can’t be both…they are opposite??

Frank is the tendency to be direct and to the point. Diplomatic is the tendency to state things in a tactful manner. These communication styles may appear to be conflicting.

Characteristic polarities, like paradoxes, exist where two ideas or behaviors are both valid yet seem to contradict each other. This can create tension. Often, leaders overuse one to the detriment of the other. They may prefer one approach over the other because they believe that it is the right way to communicate to get results. For instance, look at why these styles are used and how they are received.

Quick view of Frank & Diplomatic choices

Those that prefer to use frankness may:

• Want to influence by being direct and clear

• View diplomacy as wimpy, weak, and wishy-washy

• Fear not being heard

• Be perceived as overly blunt, harsh, and cold

Those that prefer to use diplomacy may:

• Want harmony

• View frankness as rude, uncaring, and cold

• Fear conflict, rejection, or hurting feelings

• Be perceived as evasive, non-committal, and confusing

The answer is all 3 choices!

Each communication style has value, but also potential pitfalls. Rather than trying to resolve the uncomfortable tension by choosing one style over the other, leaders will be most effective when they develop the capacity to move back and forth between them. According to Dr. Dan Harrison, when a leader can be both frank and diplomatic, they achieve balanced versatility. Being agile with each and flexing to use both of these paradoxical traits in balance is called Forthright Diplomacy. Instead of having only one, why not have three tools in your leadership kit (Frank, Diplomatic, and Forthright Diplomacy)!  

Achieve Versatility through Reframing

Taking a moment to rethink your communication style will help you stretch to the lesser used behavior and understand how it can enhance your leadership effectiveness without giving up your goals.

• For those that are frank, being more tactful may allow the audience to remain open to hearing your points. This will increase your influence.

• For those that are diplomatic, being more direct may help the audience become clearer on your message. This will reduce tension from potential ambiguity and positively impact the interaction.   

There is power in the paradox when you know how to harness it!

There are several sets of key work behavior polarities that when used in balanced versatility will increase leadership agility. Identifying and understanding how your leaders are utilizing these is crucial to helping them achieve greater impact for your organization. Let MBM ELEVATE help you understand and harness these paradoxes to accelerate your business results.

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Mary Beth Molloy

Certified Executive Coach and Business Consultant, she delivers uncanny focus on the intersection of your business vision and goals and the leaders you’ve entrusted to achieve them.

She knows what it takes to accelerate and elevate business results through leadership development and performance. It’s her powerful blend of these experiences together with her practicality, purpose, and positivity that drive our value.

Mary Beth is interested in hearing from you. | Follow on LinkedIn  | Share comments or ask questions