Leadership Hacks, 2nd Edition

Chapter 4Delegation

Most leaders don't know how to delegate effectively. They think that telling someone to do something will achieve the results they're looking for, and as a result they're often disappointed. Have you ever delegated a specific task or project to someone and they didn't complete it? Or the result was so poor that you had to do it again yourself?

We've seen how previous generations of managers bought into Fredrick Taylor's philosophy that staff should not do any thinking, but wait to be told what to do and how to do it. This is completely out of step with the way things need to be done today.

In the digital age, with all information accessible to all staff at any time, the traditional authority of people in leadership positions is being questioned. In fact, many of the younger generation look at a person in a leadership role and ask the questions (in their head or directly): ‘What are you going to do for me as my manager?’; ‘What can you offer me to keep me motivated and excited to be here?’; and ‘You are not one of those old‐school leaders who thinks they still know everything and is going to micromanage me are you?’

They believe leaders should earn their title by demonstrating their skills and capabilities and the ability to teach and mentor staff to do the same. The traditional corporate ladder where the next person in line for a leader's job was the one with the highest seniority is no longer accepted as an effective way to do business. And, when working ...