Leadership is not easy. Let’s just be honest in that. But it is a joy to be entrusted a position to lead or to have influence over others. If you are in a church or non-profit, or any organization for that matter, it takes a lot to establish and keep trust, especially with those you lead or are peers to. And that trust can be ripped down in a moment. Although there are many ways to destroy trust, here is the first of a three part series covering basic ways leaders who are moving fast may rip down that trust they have strived so hard to build.
Dirty Delegation
In his book, The Top Ten Mistakes Leaders Make, Hanz Finzel shares the concept of Dirty Delegation. This is basically giving someone a task through deliberate or inferred delegation, then through no fault of theirs, and without clarity that you are doing it, you decide to take the task on for yourself again.
Finzel also says this about dirty delegation:
Overmanaging is one of the greatest sins of leadership. We must be careful not to micro-manage people to death. Delegation means giving people the freedom to decide how jobs will be done. Dirty delegation is constantly looking over the shoulders of those asked to do the work. It is confining and restricting to the creativity and problem solving potential that longs to come out of most people. It is also making decisions behind the backs of those to whom work is delegated. (p. 103)
Cake baking with a friend
Dirty delegation is like baking a cake with a friend and asking them to crack some eggs in a side dish for you to add later, but you just get so into the cake making yourself that you add the eggs needed directly to the dish as well. That leaves your friend with a couple cracked eggs ready to be added, but with nowhere to add them to. That friend no doubt feels multiple emotions: confused, used, abused. Okay, maybe not abused the first time, but three or four times later, repeating this same sloppy leadership, they may feel that way. And that fourth time you ask for the eggs to be cracked and set in a side bowl, they may just not do it until they see it is absolutely necessary and you will actually use them. And I don’t blame them. They have been delegated a task, but not really entrusted to execute that task. It is unclear if they are really needed or if they are valued for what they bring to the table. It is dirty delegation.
When you do the same thing as a leader, either to paid staff or volunteers, you inadvertently rip down trust, in your competency as a leader, but also in the overall picture of what is hopeful of being accomplished. And you don’t want that.
Leadership and Communication
Communication is important in all forms of leadership. When it comes to delegation, it is imperative to be clear and concise. What is your role as a leader with the other who is being assigned a task or project? What is the timeline, expectations, and responsibility you are delegating? Those need to be defined in your mind as a leader, and then communicated well.
Dirty Delegation can come easy. If you are moving too fast as a leader, you may simply forget what you delegated. Or you may take something back thinking you can do it better. That may be true, but it will also be true that you communicate a lack of faith in the others execution or abilities. Perhaps you shouldn’t have delegated that task to begin with? Or perhaps you should reevaluate what it is you want to do as you lead? Either way, if you embrace dirty delegation when it comes to leading staff or volunteers, you will sooner or later realize the consequences are not worth it.
More than Delegation
Pick up the book for yourself and explore the other nine mistakes. Grab The Top Ten Mistakes Leaders Make by Hanz Finzel here.
Parts 2 and 3
Coming soon, part 2 (Inconsistent Vision/Priorities) and part 3 (Under-communicating). Sign up for updates
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