When delegation isn’t working…
If work keeps coming back to you…
its probably not because your team isn’t capable.
It’s because you aren’t having the right conversations.
Most leaders think they’re delegating.
They assign the task.
They explain what needs to be done.
They trust the person to take it from there.
And then…
Questions come back.
Decisions come back.
Work comes back not quite right.
So the leader steps in.
Tightens things up.
Checks more often.
Starts to feel like they have to stay close to everything.
It’s frustrating. Because it feels like:
“I gave this to you… why is it back with me?”
But here’s what’s usually happening.
The task was delegated.
The thinking was not.
So the leader stays:
The decision-maker.
The problem-solver.
The quality control.
Sound familiar?
💡When you end up with that delegated task back on your desk and incomplete…
Resist the temptation to do it yourself or get annoyed.
Simply invite the delegatee into a conversation to discuss where they are in the process you handed off…and help them think through what’s next.
Hold them capable. Keep the ownership with them. Don’t take the boomerang.
That’s where the work starts to stay with them. And that’s where leadership starts to feel a lot lighter.
đź’śStacey
PS: Usually, leaders get this far and say “Sounds easy, Stacey, but…. (I don’t have time to… You don’t understand this person I’m dealing with…)."
What’s your Yes, but? Reply and let me know.
