Posts Tagged ‘delegation myths’

Delegation can help you to achieve better results as a leader or manager. Yet many managers still often buy into one or more of the following myths about delegation:

Myth 1: It takes a long time to do
• The reality is that it is a one off investment of time that pays back quickly.

Myth 2: People will let you down

• The reality is that if you give people the chance, they will almost always rise to the challenge.

Myth 3: You can do it quicker

• Maybe you can but the question is what are you not doing instead that might stop you from getting results?

Myth 4: People might do it better than you and show you up

• You’re right, they might, which goes to show that you should not be doing it in the first place.

Myth 5: You will delegate yourself out of your job

• Not at all, you will create more time to do what you should really be doing.

The reality is that delegation can be the catalyst to delivering better performance. So what stops you?

Duncan Brodie of Goals and Achievements helps accountants and health professionals to achieve success and realize their professional potential through being highly effective leaders and managers. For more information and to sign up for his free audio e-course click here

As a manager or leader you probably find yourself with a lot of competing demands on your time.  You might even be struggling to deliver on your key objectives.

Every manager and leader understands that they cannot possibly do everything on their own, yet many resist delegation.  In my experience part of the reason for this is that they have pre-conceived ideas about delegation.  Some of the common myths include:

1. It will take too long to explain it to someone else so it is quicker to do it myself
2. I have no one that I could trust enough to delegate such an important job to
3. I tried to delegate in the past but it did not work so I don’t think it will work in the future
4. If I delegate too much, my boss will wonder if they really need me and I might get made redundant
5. Delegation is for people who cannot handle a big portfolio of work by themselves
6. I don’t have the time to delegate with so much to do

All of these myths are just that.  Truth is if you want to prosper as a manager or leader, you need to be willing to delegate.  So what is stopping you delegating?