Handing off a task without the authority to finish it isn’t delegation. It’s a setup.
LEADERSHIP
WHAT THIS MEANS
Responsibility without power is a trap. If you ask somebody to run an event but keep approval over every choice, they absorb the blame for delays they could not prevent. People feel that quickly and stop volunteering. A real handoff means the person can decide the small things and spend what the job needs without checking in.
Look at anything you have handed over lately and ask what the person cannot do without your say. Give at least one of those decisions away, and name out loud what is now their call. Then live with the version they choose.
A QUESTION TO SIT WITH
Did you hand someone a job without the power to finish?
MORE IN LEADERSHIP & INFLUENCE
- Bees don’t recruit with hype. A forager has to come back and dance real directions to food before anyone follows.
- A real leader trains someone good enough to replace them, then doesn’t feel threatened by it.
- You can lead by asking great questions. “What’s the worst that could happen here?” has saved a lot of plans.
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