In hindsight, it was a classic example of something being relegated to me, and not delegated to me…
I rationalized ignoring it
I could not have explained where the spark of rebellion and resentment came from, but I felt it. Every day for a week, when I arrived at my desk, I would look at a box of carpet and paint samples. Instead of returning the box to the architect, I would turn away from it toward work that made me feel more valuable and engaged.
I had been told to complete a specific task. But, it was task that I didn’t find meaning in; that didn’t leverage my skills; that didn’t have an element of learning for me. So I rationalized ignoring it.
After a few days of deferring, I was jolted out of my avoidance when I was suddenly made aware of how the samples related to the greater schedule and priorities of the project.
Did it have to be relegated as a mundane task? Could it have been a delegated responsibility?
I remember that jolt when I think about delegating to others.
- What if instead of being instructed to complete a task, I had been given the responsibility of strengthening my relationship with the person who was to receive the samples?
- Or what if instead of being told to do it ASAP, I had been offered a short discussion to mutually agree on the drivers for a deadline?
We will always have a mix of relegating mundane assignments, and delegating meaningful responsibilities. But the more we can elevate from relegating to delegating, the more engaged our teams will be.
Exercise for delegation muscle
So here’s an exercise to strengthen your delegation muscle:
- Today, identify an outcome that you are asking a team mate to achieve in the next two weeks
- Decide if it is a mundane task or if there are aspects that involve some agency perhaps in how it gets done
- Then set the schedule for when you’re going to check-in
- With this context, have a conversation with your team mate, and get their thoughts on it being relegated or delegated.
- At the end of the two weeks, reflect on how you felt between check-ins, and how your relationship with your team mate might be changing.
