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#092: The Single Biggest Reason Leaders Struggle with Delegation [Podcast]
Most leaders I know struggle with delegation. They know they should do it, but they just have trouble handing off their work. Why is that?
If you ask them, it’s usually some variation of this:
I don’t delegate because it takes longer to delegate the task than just do it myself.
Sound familiar?
The truth is, delegation always takes longer—the first couple of times you hand off a task. But it will save you hours, days, and weeks if you hand it off the right way. This requires creating a clearly documented, optimized workflow, and then training someone how to use it.
Click to Listen
In this episode I share four steps to take in transforming a workflow into a documented procedure. These steps apply to tasks you are currently doing yourself but know you need to delegate to someone else.
Notice the workflow. Whenever you find yourself repeating the same workflow over and over again in the same way, you have a candidate for delegation. This could be anything from answering your phone, to filtering your e-mail, to updating your blog. It could literally be anything.
For example, late last year I noticed I spent half a day a week editing my podcast, uploading it to my media server, and creating the “show notes.” Each time, I went through the same exact workflow. I realized I could save two full days a month if I could delegate this process.
Optimize the workflow. Once you have the workflow identified, it is time to fine-tune it. You can do this by eliminating any unnecessary steps. Simplifying your tools can also help.
You don’t want to put yourself in a position where you have to hire a genius (like you) to perform the procedure. Instead, use your genius to create a simple, reproducible procedure almost anyone could execute.
Document the workflow. This is the difference-maker. It’s where 95 percent of leaders fail. They expect their staff to read their mind and then wonder why no one can do the job as well as they can.
Assume you are training someone with limited experience. Here’s what I do:
Choose the appropriate documentation tool. This could be a Google document, a note in Evernote, or an outline in OmniOutliner. I have used them all, but my favorite new tool is SweetProcess.
Write down the workflow as a series of sequential steps. Imagine you were explaining to someone what to do and waiting for them to complete each step before moving on.
Start each step with an action verb. For example, “open your e-mail program,” “create a request form,” or “upload the file to the LibSyn server.” These steps should look very similar to items on a to-do list. The person reading it should know when they have completed each step.
Use screenshots or screencasts to illustrate each step in the procedure. This can make your process much easier to follow and less error-prone. I use SnagIt for screenshots and ScreenFlow for screencasts. These both allow you to annotate the illustrations.
Test your own procedure by going through each step in a live setting. This is where the rubber meets the road. You want to make sure each step is clear and none is missing before you ask someone to implement it.
Share the workflow.
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By Michael Hyatt
4.9
25372,537 ratings
Most leaders I know struggle with delegation. They know they should do it, but they just have trouble handing off their work. Why is that?
If you ask them, it’s usually some variation of this:
I don’t delegate because it takes longer to delegate the task than just do it myself.
Sound familiar?
The truth is, delegation always takes longer—the first couple of times you hand off a task. But it will save you hours, days, and weeks if you hand it off the right way. This requires creating a clearly documented, optimized workflow, and then training someone how to use it.
Click to Listen
In this episode I share four steps to take in transforming a workflow into a documented procedure. These steps apply to tasks you are currently doing yourself but know you need to delegate to someone else.
Notice the workflow. Whenever you find yourself repeating the same workflow over and over again in the same way, you have a candidate for delegation. This could be anything from answering your phone, to filtering your e-mail, to updating your blog. It could literally be anything.
For example, late last year I noticed I spent half a day a week editing my podcast, uploading it to my media server, and creating the “show notes.” Each time, I went through the same exact workflow. I realized I could save two full days a month if I could delegate this process.
Optimize the workflow. Once you have the workflow identified, it is time to fine-tune it. You can do this by eliminating any unnecessary steps. Simplifying your tools can also help.
You don’t want to put yourself in a position where you have to hire a genius (like you) to perform the procedure. Instead, use your genius to create a simple, reproducible procedure almost anyone could execute.
Document the workflow. This is the difference-maker. It’s where 95 percent of leaders fail. They expect their staff to read their mind and then wonder why no one can do the job as well as they can.
Assume you are training someone with limited experience. Here’s what I do:
Choose the appropriate documentation tool. This could be a Google document, a note in Evernote, or an outline in OmniOutliner. I have used them all, but my favorite new tool is SweetProcess.
Write down the workflow as a series of sequential steps. Imagine you were explaining to someone what to do and waiting for them to complete each step before moving on.
Start each step with an action verb. For example, “open your e-mail program,” “create a request form,” or “upload the file to the LibSyn server.” These steps should look very similar to items on a to-do list. The person reading it should know when they have completed each step.
Use screenshots or screencasts to illustrate each step in the procedure. This can make your process much easier to follow and less error-prone. I use SnagIt for screenshots and ScreenFlow for screencasts. These both allow you to annotate the illustrations.
Test your own procedure by going through each step in a live setting. This is where the rubber meets the road. You want to make sure each step is clear and none is missing before you ask someone to implement it.
Share the workflow.