If you are a leader, and you’re wondering why do some leaders fail to delegate effectively, I can give you a few quick reasons. The first is that leaders don’t understand how delegation works. They may not fully understand the concept of creating an environment where people know what to do and when to do it. The second reason is that they may not understand how to let go and develop the ability to delegate without micromanaging.
Most organizations, as well as most individuals, have a “leader” owho is in charge. Sadly, these leaders don’t necessarily act as leaders but rather as managers. They possess the skills of leading, but not being in the position to delegate. Leaders don’t have to make decisions regarding their employees’ actions-they just let their employees do so. However, many leaders fail to realize that employees need some freedom to act and think for themselves, as well.
Why do leaders not use their position to encourage their employees to self-determine the success of their goals instead of working towards achieving someone else’s goal?
Because often times, a company’s leaders aren’t the ones who are best-equipped to do that. Typically, a leader must spend most of their time trying to motivate their employees instead. It’s much easier for a group of people to feel like they are being pushed than for a leader to actually get them to drive.
Leaders fear that if they leave the decision up to their employees, the employees will automatically do their best and try to achieve more than what a leader is willing to put forth. If they truly believe in the value of autonomy, then they should also believe that they can use that value to empower their employees to be successful and drive the company forward. Otherwise, a leader can make the exact same mistake that he or she made by not hiring someone in-place to do it for them. That is why leaders must realize that they cannot let go of the control of their company’s success; rather, they must relinquish control of it to their employees.
Sometimes they don’t even recognize how they are doing things that are wrong. In order for an organization to truly become successful, every member of it must be committed to working towards the same set of goals. If one member is not committed to those goals, then the organization is doomed to fail. Leaders must be willing to get out there and actively work towards making sure that all of their employees are committed to the success of the business. Otherwise, they will never achieve any measure of success.
Leaders don’t delegate because they are scared. When someone is afraid, they will procrastinate, avoid, or simply not do something that is required of them. When someone is not doing their job as required, the leader realizes that their fear is justified. The leader has allowed his or her employees to slack off, which has negatively impacted the business in some way or another.
Fear is a major contributor to the failure of many businesses, and the fear of delegation is a underrated disaster.
It’s time for leaders to let go of their fears and instead empower their employees to do the necessary work in order to achieve business success.
