“Stop Feeling Guilty About Delegating,” by Dina Smith

 

Don’t Feel Guilty About Delegating

When delegating work to your team, you might feel guilty about asking someone to add more work to their to-do list. Caring about the welfare of your team and managing their workload is part of good leadership. But when unchecked guilt gets in the way of delegating, it’s a no-win situation. One tactic you can try is to reframe how you think about your request. For example, try thinking of delegating as a generous act of trust that gives your employees a chance to prove themselves and grow.  If someone is juggling competing priorities, you might help them reprioritize, if necessary, or else redirect your request to someone else who’s able to take the work on. After you’ve delegated, set regular checkpoints to provide feedback and coaching along the way. Make yourself open to questions and mentorship, and acknowledge people for their efforts once the work is complete. This will help make the experience more pleasant and fruitful, both for your employees and yourself.

This tip is adapted from “Stop Feeling Guilty About Delegating,” by Dina Smith