Leadership in Action: Responsibility, Empowerment, and Delegation
Letting go of what you built and put every ounce of energy you had into is hard. It’s beyond hard. And yet, if you want to succeed, you need to start delegating decisions, ownership and even the things you know best. Otherwise, you are holding back the company and your team.
If you only had 2h for the whole month, what would you do? This question forces you to think about what you absolutely have to do yourself. In the beginning that is literally everything. But over time, ask yourself what you need to hand over and delegate.
When growing your company, delegating enough is mission-critical. One interviewed founder said that “growth stops or people leave when you are still involved in everything”. It’s tough to let go of your baby. This helps:
- Let go in steps. Make conscious choices of letting go and empowering others to step up and take responsibility. And then let them fly, even fail
- Focus more on company-wide targets on a quarterly basis. This allows you to elevate your thinking and shift away from day-to-day business.
- Only step in when there is an emergency. Set things back on track, and then consciously remove yourself again.
- Focus on outcomes, only get back in when the outcome is not what you need
- Do not diffuse responsibility. Hold people accountable with a kind heart and coach them through failures and learnings.
What are things you should never delegate?
- Connecting and communicating with your team and investors:
- being involved in the lives of the team members – being interested. Being personal with them. Connect honestly, and speak with them about private their life outside of work.
- Provide growth plans and opportunities for personal development for your team
Learn how to provide tailored feedback. Some people need positive feedback, some nothing, some clear boundaries, and feedback to adjust behavior (reach out to me if you need a quick refresher).
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