We rise in our careers by getting things done. The paradox of the ascent is that the higher we rise the more we must depend on others to perform the work we are ultimately responsible for. The willingness and ability to delegate may be the most essential skill to attain the C-Suite.
The inability, or unwillingness to do this has short circuited more than one career. But getting work done through others requires that we trust in their intent and ability; in short, executives must take the risk of delegation for their companies and for themselves to succeed.
A short HBR article How to Get Better at Delegating offers a roadmap for both new and veteran executives. Pete Drucker once remarked that in organizations, the “bottle neck is always at the top of the bottle.” Awareness of your willingness and ability to delegate and intention to master this fundamental core competence will determine how narrow or wide, and how high or low , the bottleneck is in your organization.
As important as it is to delegate, it’s equally important to avoid the trap of encouraging, unintentionally, your subordinates to delegate to you. To avoid this, I urge you to read another classic HBR article “Who’s Got the Monkey? .” (co-written by retired Vistage-Dallas Chair Don Wass).
