How to give up control and delegate

This is something extremely common I hear leaders struggling with; most importantly, I hear it as a frustration from people about their boss or someone in their organization who is a micromanager or can’t let go and delegate. The ability to loosen your grip will actually make you more successful as a leader. 

If you think about what it means to be a successful leader, you are successful when your employees (peers, or even superiors) are motivated, challenged, learning… when they feel fulfilled and successful. This is a mindset; it’s not about you, it’s about them. 

I’ll provide you with some common things I hear that stop people from delegating/giving up control: 

⛔ I don’t have the time to delegate/train/hold people accountable. 

⛔ I don’t want to give up doing this work because it’s job security. 

⛔ I don’t know how / don’t know how to learn. 

⛔ It feels too much like babysitting someone and that annoys me. 

⛔ I’m the only one who knows how to do this. (a pride/purpose thing)

⛔ It’s too complex to train others. (Not sharing information and cross-training is extremely detrimental to your team.)

⛔ I like feeling needed; doing this makes me feel needed. 

⛔ I don’t trust others to do this right. 

⛔ I’m afraid they might make mistakes and that makes me uncomfortable. (They WILL make mistakes! It’s just part of life.)

⛔ I like this task and don’t want to give it up. 

⛔ It’s faster if I do it myself. 

⛔ I’ve had a bad experience with delegating so I’d rather do things myself and know they get done properly. 

⛔ I didn’t know I should delegate this/these tasks. 

⛔ Their plate is already too full so I’ll just do it myself. 

⛔ I like to know the ins and outs of what’s going on. I’m worried if I delegate/outsource, I won’t be informed. 

⛔ If I do this work, I get the credit and recognition and that gives me more ammunition to push for a promotion, better salary, or better job. 

I challenge you to ask yourself: what are your reasons for not delegating? What scares you about giving up control? What fears do you have? What can you do to change your mindset or learn whatever skills will give you more confidence?

You can navigate these waters much more smoothly if you recognize that giving up control and delegating to others is the behavior of a highly-effective leader. Trust in your judgment and your ability to provide direction and coach them along the way. Be realistic of the time and effort required and that mistakes/errors will be made. If you don’t feel comfortable holding others accountable or coaching your team, learn how to do this or consider not being in a people management position. 

Is it a balance? Absolutely. Your level of involvement should flex to meet the needs of your subordinates. Some will need/want more involvement than others. That being said, do not neglect your high-performers or assume they don’t need you. 

What mindset will help you feel more at ease? Each day, reflect on how you guided your team that day and what you did to motivate and fulfill others. As a leader, this can be extremely purposeful when you remind yourself how you’re helping others. How you’re serving others should be your own agenda to push forward.