There’s more to delegation than getting tasks done, making sure that your reports deliver their responsibilities. Sure, it’s important to get this part working and working well, but it’s only part of the story.
The second and more exciting element of delegation is creation of opportunity for the other person, setting challenges to grow and develop their skills, to expand their responsibilities. Don’t overlook this; it’s a criminal waste to neglect this area.
This is the exciting part; this is where you can experience a bit of fear and your reports also can get into feelings of terror. This is where you get real engagement with your staff, providing opportunities for real growth. You also can benefit from real freeing-up of your role to deliver your personal best value.
The point of terror both of you and of the person to whom you are delegating means stretching them, challenging them within the bounds of their potential. Identify the specific areas of potential for each of your reports, then give them tasks to allow them to show their stuff. Take the risk, they will sometimes fail but the benefit to both you and to your reports will be huge.
Remember, we only identify out boundaries or limits when we reach them.
If you don’t get to the point of terror with each of your reports, you’re not delegating effectively.