Have you ever wondered what truly separates mediocre managers from exceptional leaders? On this episode of Things Leaders Do, Colby Morris promises to uncover the key difference between delegating tasks and delegating authority—a distinction that could revolutionize how you lead your team. Inspired by Simon Sinek’s wisdom on leadership, Colby shares how empowering your team members to take ownership and make decisions can fundamentally transform team dynamics and success.
Discover the four essential strategies to foster a culture of empowerment and problem-solving within your team. Learn practical tips such as setting clear goals, scheduling supportive—not micromanaging—check-ins, and conducting hands-on workshops to enhance problem-solving skills. Colby emphasizes the importance of building confidence and independence in your team members, preparing them to tackle future challenges head-on. Ready to elevate your leadership game? Tune in and find out how to inspire your team to new heights!
Have you ever wondered what truly separates mediocre managers from exceptional leaders? On this episode of Things Leaders Do, Colby Morris promises to uncover the key difference between delegating tasks and delegating authority—a distinction that could revolutionize how you lead your team. Inspired by Simon Sinek’s wisdom on leadership, Colby shares how empowering your team members to take ownership and make decisions can fundamentally transform team dynamics and success.
Discover the four essential strategies to foster a culture of empowerment and problem-solving within your team. Learn practical tips such as setting clear goals, scheduling supportive—not micromanaging—check-ins, and conducting hands-on workshops to enhance problem-solving skills. Colby emphasizes the importance of building confidence and independence in your team members, preparing them to tackle future challenges head-on. Ready to elevate your leadership game? Tune in and find out how to inspire your team to new heights!
Welcome to Things Leaders Do, the podcast that uncovers the secrets of becoming an extraordinary leader. If you're a leader who's constantly seeking growth, inspiration and tangible ways to level up your leadership, then you've come to the right place. Remember, the world needs exceptional leaders, and that leader is you. Now here's your host, colby Morris is you Now?
Speaker 2:
here's your host, colby Morris. Welcome back to Things Leaders Do, the podcast, where I delve into the habits and practices of exceptional leaders, and my job is to help you become a better leader faster. Hey, I'm your host, colby Morris, and today we're exploring a crucial concept in leadership, and that is the difference between delegating tasks and delegating authority. Yes, there is a difference. The distinction is simple yet profound. See, delegating tasks may bring temporary convenience, but delegating authority leads to lasting team success. I'm going to say that one more time because hopefully you wrote that down Delegating tasks may bring temporary convenience, but delegating authority leads to lasting team success. Simon Sinek once said and if you haven't read a lot of Simon Sinek, you need to great information but he once said leadership is not about being in charge, it's about taking care of those in your charge. See, this principle is at the heart of delegating authority. When we delegate tasks, we're just telling people what to do, but when we delegate authority, we empower our team members to make decisions. They take ownership to truly lead in their own right. And today I want to give you four key points to help you embrace this powerful leadership approach.
Speaker 2:
First, let's talk about empowerment. When you delegate authority, you empower your team members to take ownership of the work. This isn't just about handing off responsibilities. It's about entrusting them with the power to make decisions. Literally, the word empower means to give power, so empowerment is the cornerstone of a thriving team culture. Imagine you have a project that needs managing. Instead of just assigning tasks, you can delegate the authority to a team member to lead the project. They become responsible for the outcomes, the decisions and the process. This level of trust, this level of responsibility that encourages them to invest fully in their project success and it adds to their confidence that you chose them. You can and should certainly be available to help them in the process, but ultimately they are the ones who will be running the project. Furthermore, when you delegate authority, you are also creating problem solvers, and you've heard me talk about this a lot.
Speaker 2:
I believe problem solvers are one of the main keys to a successful team. By giving team members the power to make decisions, you encourage them to think creatively, to think critically, to overcome challenges, and this not only benefits the immediate project, but also develops their problem-solving skills, which are crucial for their growth as a leader. So consider a scenario where a team member encounters an unexpected issue on a project, instead of coming to you for a solution, they have the authority to address the problem themselves. They analyze the situation, maybe brainstorm potential solutions, and they implement the best one. This experience not only resolves the current issue, but also prepares them to handle future challenges independently.
Speaker 2:
Here's what I teach. It's what I tell my teams Never bring me just a problem. Okay, if there's a problem, bring me at least two solutions and then be able to articulate to me which one of those you think should be utilized and why. My teams always know that. They know that I'm not going to answer a standard problem question. I'm going to answer a question with a question, and that's what makes their development so powerful. They learn to think and problem solve as a leader.
Speaker 2:
So how do you roll this out? Here's how you implement this. First, set clear goals and expectations. Okay, define what success looks like, but allow your team member the freedom to decide how to achieve it. You also need to schedule regular check-ins to provide support. Okay, not to micromanage. You hear me Schedule regular check-ins to provide support, not to micromanage. These meetings should be about offering guidance, removing obstacles. You can conduct workshops that focus on developing problem-solving skills. Encourage team members to present issues and brainstorm solutions together. That works so much better than you would ever think. If you've never done that part, I encourage you to do that like tomorrow, all right.
Speaker 2:
Second, delegating authority builds trust and confidence. When team members feel trusted, they're more likely to step up, to innovate and to go the extra mile. Okay, trust is a two-way street. By showing that you trust your team, they in turn will trust in their capabilities and in your leadership. Consider a scenario where a team member suggests a new strategy for, say, improving client satisfaction. Instead of giving them a list of tasks to implement their idea, you delegate the authority to them to develop and execute the strategy. This demonstrates your trust in their judgment and abilities. Encourage team members to make decisions within their areas of responsibility. Support them even if mistakes are made. View them as learning opportunities. But you need to define the scope of where they can make those decisions. If things are life threatening, maybe they don't make that decision, but in other areas, they need to know the boundaries in which they can make the decisions, and the clearer you define those boundaries, the more easily those decisions can be made Okay, all right.
Speaker 2:
Recognize and celebrate success Okay. Or innovations that come from their decisions Okay. Public acknowledgement enforces that trust and confidence that you have All right. Lastly, delegating authority fosters growth and development. When team members are given the authority to lead, they develop critical thinking, problem solving and leadership skills. This not only benefits the individual, but also strengthens the entire team. Say, you have a new initiative that needs a leader. Instead of taking the lead yourself, which you normally do, you delegate the authority to an emerging leader on your team. They take charge, they face challenges, they learn valuable leadership skills in the process. This prepares them for the future leadership roles and contributes to the team's overall capability.
Speaker 2:
All right, let's talk about an implementation tool here. I want to make sure you have some of these. I want you to provide mentorship and coaching to support their development Okay, share your experiences. Tell them some stories of where something similar may have be applicable, offer advice, help guide them through those challenges. You need to create personalized development plans that align their growth within the organization's goals. You need to make sure that, yes, those goals are applicable to them and how they're going to grow as a leader, as a person, but you also want to align them to the organization's goals as well, encourage continuous learning and provide resources to facilitate their development.
Speaker 2:
So, in summary, delegating authority is about more than just getting things done. It's about building a stronger, more capable team, and who does not want that? By empowering your team members and building trust and fostering their growth, you create a people-first culture that leads to sustained success. And, believe me, you want a people-first culture. So let's recap Empowerment Delegate authority with clear expectations, regular check-ins and problem-solving workshops. Trust Build trust and confidence by empowering decision-making, recognizing achievements. Growth Foster growth and development through mentorship, coaching, personalized development plans.
Speaker 2:
Okay, so today was kind of brief, but I feel impactful. I hope you found value in this. If you have any questions, feel free to reach out to me. My LinkedIn is in the show notes. I love to connect with you. I had several people that have been connecting lately to ask great questions and there was some discussion about this in some of those chats this week and I really hope this helps answer some of those questions. So thank you for joining me today on the TOD podcast. I hope you found these insights valuable, that they are inspired to start delegating authority within your team. Remember, true leadership is about creating an environment where everyone can thrive. Okay, make sure to check back next week and again, if you are finding value, please do a screenshot. Share this on multimedia, whatever you're doing LinkedIn, facebook, instagram, whatever. Whatever the kids are using these days Facebook Instagram, whatever. Whatever the kids are using these days. Remember, leadership is not just about making decisions. It's about making a difference. And you know why? Because those are the things that leaders do.
Speaker 1:
Thank you for listening to Things Leaders Do. If you're looking for more tips on how to be a better leader, be sure to subscribe to the podcast and listen to next week's episode. Until next time, keep working on being a better leader by doing the things that leaders do.
