Delegating

I just came back from working the ING New York City Marathon. One of the things that I think is hardest for people to learn is how to delegate to the other people, whether people who report directly to them or people who are reporting to them only on a specific project. This came out loud and clear with some of my former colleagues at the marathon. A leader’s job is to lay out the plan and overall vision for a project and then delegate areas of that project to her direct reports. There will be areas that she will manage, and she should know what is happening in all of the areas her direct reports are managing.

I saw a situation occur this weekend where a leader kept such tight control of an event that on the day of the event, his direct reports told a colleague of mine that none of them knew what they were supposed to do for the event (what their responsibilities were) because their leader, who was managing the event, was supposed to give them their assignments, but he never got around to telling them. This was scary to see because there was a lot that needed to be done, yet one person was the only one who knew the plan and he and was trying to complete it alone.

Too many people want to hang on to their areas of responsibility. I think it stems from a couple of issues: thinking that no one can do it better than they can and fear that someone else will be doing their job, and hence, taking away their spotlight. What they don’t realize is that they’re not doing themselves or their direct reports any type of justice by doing this. Good leaders understand and follow the mantra that in order to move up, you’ve got to give up, meaning that in order to grow and climb the ladder of an organization, you have to give up specific control of areas. This doesn’t mean that you give up responsibility for something, but rather that you give up the detailed control. You still oversee an area and are ultimately responsible for it, but you’re not the one hashing out the details. As a leader, you assign new areas to your staff and guide them through the minefield. They walk through the minefield on their own, but you as their leader never allow them to even get close enough to a land mine to cause any damage. One of the keys is to have regular (weekly) meetings with them to review their projects and guide them through the problem areas. A leader should understand all of the areas that report to him and know what is happening in them by way of regular updates from his staff. Giving up the specific tasks allows a leader to take on broader responsibilities and create future leaders by developing their talents. Good leaders lead managers. Great leaders develop and lead other leaders.

Leadership vs. Management

One of my biggest pet peeves is when I hear or read about "managing people." To some people, the difference between leadership and management is just semantics, but it's more than that to me. Processes are managed; people should be led.

Management is about making sure that procedures and tasks (processes) are properly taken care of and done on time--things such as expense reports, financial tracking, time management, administrative paperwork, business processes specific to your industry, etc. Leadership is about creating a vision and developing people.

I've had peers who have tried to manage people rather than lead them. It wasn't pretty. Their staff had no respect for them. People need to know that you're committed to them and their development. Once a leader makes that commitment, she has to make sure to follow-up on it, ALWAYS, even when she doesn't feel like it. Just as with emails and voice mails, not following up will cause a leader to lose all credibility with her direct reports. It's the kiss of death.

Good leaders genuinely care about the welfare of their employees. Great leaders learn what it is that each employee wants and needs, what motivates them, what their goals are, and help them reach their potential. Yes, I do think that there are some people who are natural born leaders, but that doesn't mean it's hopeless for those of us who weren't born with that ability. Being a good leader can definitely be taught. A person can learn what makes a good leader and practice those behaviors.

There are certain traits that you will almost always hear when someone describes a good leader. Emulate those. Learn about them. Develop your own leadership philosophy and practice it. Two of my favorite sources that I think best describe a good leader and how to become one are The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership by John C. Maxwell and Disney's Great Leader Strategies, which were developed by Lee Cockerell (www.leecockerell.com). Lee recorded CD's of one of his Great Leader Strategies presentations in 1997. The presentation is ten years old and I still listen to it at least once a month. I always learn something from listening to it again.

Some of the things that I thing make good leaders, traits that I look for in leaders I work for are:

- They always make time for me when I need to speak with them or need their assistance.
- They learn about me as an individual, what my career goals are, and are committed to helping me reach those goals.
- They make sure that I am in an environment where I am constantly learning new things. They give me assignments to help me grow professionally and even take a role in directly teaching me new things.
- They give me the freedom to try new things and new ways of doing old things.
- They give me feedback and direction rather than criticism. (Direction tells people what to do. Criticism tells people what NOT to do.)
_ They let me manage my area and lead my direct reports without micromanaging.

Leadership isn't easy and it certainly isn't something that can only be done once in a while, but the rewards are well worth the effort.