Could delegating be standing between you and scale?
Read any management training guide, and I bet you’ll find a chapter on the importance of delegation. Art and science are involved in allocating a task to the right person with the necessary experience and judgment to get the job done. It’s not easy; like any skill, it takes practice, reflection and iteration to get it right. The desire to be a “better delegator” is a common theme in the coaching conversations — and while it’s important, I would argue that founders focused on the pursuit of scale should be focused on a different question.
What do I need to do to create the optimal level of autonomy for each member of my team?
The underlying principle is the same. In a purely economic sense, it’s about getting the work done well at the lowest unit cost. Focusing on creating autonomy rather than the tactical act of task delegation means creating scalable decision-making capacity, without which growth will be inevitably stunted.
A lack of autonomy within the team creates risk for founders. Aside from the impact on business growth, unnecessarily holding on to decision-making responsibility is, at best, exhausting and distracting. At worst, it means that you become the blockage to scale.
“Don’t be a bottleneck. If a matter is not a decision for the President or you, delegate it. Force responsibility down and out. Find problem areas, add structure and delegate. The pressure is to do the reverse. Resist it.” — Donald Rumsfeld
If you’re wondering whether you’re working towards the optimal level of autonomy, ask yourself 3 questions:
How often do members of my team come and ask me for permission to do something?
How often am I asked to provide the solution to (what feels like) a relatively small problem?
How often do projects get delayed because the team needs me to do or say something before they can proceed?
If you answered “quite often” to any of the questions above, perhaps it’s time to start thinking about how you can create an environment where the team feel able to make their own decisions, where, collectively, they feel trusted to think and act in ways that smooth and speed the process of decision making. To be clear, it’s not the same as independence — where they might feel free to do whatever they want — this is about creating a sense of interdependence, where team members consider the impact of decisions and actions across the business.
Transitioning to a more autonomous team creates a sense of fear and loss for many founders. From the early stages, where, by necessity, you are across every intricate detail, it feels dangerous to let go of the idea of being across everything. Rather than seeing this as a danger, I encourage my clients to focus on the opportunities this creates — the opportunity for the business and the team (including you) to grow.
Part of that growth means acknowledging that:
Things will go wrong
Things will be done differently than you would have done them
Things might be done better than you would have done them
You might feel less needed on a day-to-day basis.
In making the transition to a more autonomous team, I recommend that you:
Ensure that your purpose, vision, values and strategy are crystal clear. These are the guideposts that help your team know what to do when they’re faced with a hard decision. They’re not set and forget — the interpretation will change as the company grows, so you must be visibly doing and saying the things that help the team understand and interpret the changes.
Trust the team and make sure they know it. If you’re unsure about any member of the team, consider what needs to change for you to be able to trust them. If that feels impossible, then perhaps it’s time for a change. The team also need to feel trusted. They need to feel safe and supported in taking on these new responsibilities.
Create the “rules”. The team needs to know what “good” looks like when operating with autonomy. They need to understand the conditions for when a decision must come to you (usually related to risk and/or reversibility) and what needs to happen if something critically urgent occurs. They must understand when you want to be involved and when you don’t.
Forget the “hero habit”. You’re likely used to jumping in and saving the day — helping people by giving them the answers. But if you continue to solve their problems for them, you’ll undermine any messages around the need for autonomy. If you’re looking for a technique to help remind you, think about Simon Sinek’s philosophy of leaders speak last.
Inspect what you expect. I’m not talking about micromanagement, which would obviously counteract any attempts to create autonomy. I suggest that you demonstrate, through the questions you ask, the things that are important to you and the business's success. Ensure you’re reinforcing the areas of focus and the guideposts to help your team members make the best decisions.
Delegation is often a precursor to autonomy. But on its own, delegation is not enough. It’s important to reflect on the way in which your words and actions might be limiting the autonomy within your team — and, as a result, limiting the growth and scale of your venture. If you’d like to discuss how well this works in your team, reach out any time.
Originally published July 2019