My clients are completely burned out. And very often this terrible feeling that drains them stems from an enormous excess of control over everything that happens under their watch. They want to be on top of everything, and demand that everyone behave just like them. No room for mistakes; if they occur, they will be duly punished. Yet at the same time, they need more time. Time that cannot be bought, not even at the supermarket. How can you gain more time as a leader for what truly matters? How can you delegate and empower your team to gain more time for yourself?
Today we are going to talk about something that can radically change your life as a team leader: we are going to learn how to delegate and empower your team. I know it sounds a little difficult, complicated, and quite unrealistic; but do me a favor, trust me, it is easier (and muuuuch more rewarding) than you think.
The Power of “Being Able to Let Go”
Imagine for a moment that you are the conductor of a symphony orchestra. Can you picture yourself playing all the instruments alone and at the same time? It is completely impossible, isn’t it? Well, the same applies to team leadership. You cannot (and should not) do everything alone. The key is to fully trust your team and give them the power to make decisions. Yes, I am aware that it can be a little scary at first, but the results can at the very least be astonishing and enormously rewarding for you.
Lessons from Toyota’s Andon Cord
Toyota gave us a masterful lesson on this back in the 1960s with their famous “Andon Cord”. What exactly is the Andon Cord, you ask? Well, basically, it was a cord that any worker on the automobile assembly line could use — by pulling on it — to stop the entire production if a problem was detected. Imagine that: they gave their front-line employees the power to make a decision that could cost thousands of dollars per minute, because stopping an entire car assembly line does not come cheap. You can probably imagine what happened next: It worked. Quality improved, errors decreased, and they created a culture of continuous improvement that revolutionized the industry.
They say that Steve Jobs used to ask the factories producing all Apple’s products to diligently scrub every inch of the facilities. He even insisted that the floor should be clean enough to eat a steak off it if it were hot enough. Why? So that all employees would internalize the importance of attention to detail and immediately flag — this time without a cord — any error they detected.
How to Start Delegating and Empowering Your People.
Forget about installing a cord in your office for now. But you can start giving more decision-making power to your team. Here are some ideas:
- Reward innovation and change: When someone makes a good decision or solves a problem on their own, acknowledge it publicly. And reward them. Organize a creativity and innovation competition.
- Clearly define the processes that involve a decision: Establish what type of decisions each team member can make based on their level and functional area. It could be about finances, processes, client relations, or simply who can stop the production line. Anyone? Go for it.
- Communicate what you expect from each person on your team: Make sure everyone understands their new responsibilities and the limits of their authority and decision-making.
- Accept that there will absolutely be mistakes: And that is fine. ALL mistakes (including yours) are learning opportunities. The important thing is to create an environment where people are not afraid to make mistakes.
- Offer support, not micromanagement: Being available to guide, accompany, and advise does not mean you have to control every move that happens in the office. Let them do it, let them be themselves, and bring out the best in them.
The Benefits of Letting Go of Control and Handing It Over to Your Team.
It may seem like explaining this would be stating the obvious, but you have to trust me and understand that the benefits will be enormous if you know how to delegate correctly:
- More time for you: You will be able to focus on the mental health of your team members, on motivating your teams, or on designing strategy and growth rather than on operational tasks.
- A more motivated team: People feel valued when you trust them, and this translates into greater commitment and productivity. They will want to come to work with a smile!
- Innovation and creativity: When you give your team freedom, you will be amazed by the brilliant ideas they can develop. Remember that diversity consists of surrounding yourself with people different from you who can contribute things you are not capable of.
- Faster growth: An empowered team can adapt and respond more quickly to changes and opportunities, making them much more agile when it comes to implementing new business situations.
What if you start with something simple?
Do not think of delegation as something impossible because you tend to imagine the whole and not the parts. If you want to learn how to delegate and empower your team, I propose a challenge for you if you promise to follow through: this week, identify a task or decision you would normally handle yourself and delegate it to someone on your team. Give them the information they need, but overcome the ( normal ) temptation to tell them exactly how to do it. You might be surprised by the results you can achieve. So, are you ready to start letting go of some control and see how your team takes off? Go for it! And if you ever need help, a coach in Madrid is always here for you.