Faster Results by Shifting from Do to Through

SUMMARY

Are you one of those people who is busy all the time yet still holds onto everything? I know what this is like because it's a challenge I encounter when working with people all over the world. It might seem counterintuitive to hold onto things when you're so busy, but there are reasons why we do this. So, this week, I want to start a conversation to help you end the year by shifting some thoughts, beliefs, and behaviours so that you can actually get more done.

Hi, this is Grant Herbert, Leadership and Sustainable Performance Coach, and today, I want to continue our conversation around the 9 Crucial Shifts for leaders, by helping you get faster results by shifting from do to through. 

Delegation is not a dirty word, but it is one that is often misunderstood.

The biggest element that stops you from delegating to others are those 3 universal fears: the fear of not belonging, the fear of not being enough, and the fear of not being liked or loved. What you do is paint a picture in your inner dialogue that says, “If I give that to someone else and they don’t do it well, I’ll be judged for that. It’s not them who will be judged—it’s me.”

The key element of this shift is trust. It is about getting to a position where you trust yourself and trust other people to represent you well. The second thing we will look at is "process". There is a particular way to delegate tasks to others so they can get them done effectively.

Years ago, I was the kind of person who would walk past someone’s desk, throw a task at them, and say, “Here, do this,” before walking off. Thankfully, my team today is empowered to push back and say, “Hang on a minute, we don’t have enough information to do what you want. So stop, pause, and have a conversation.”

Understanding that people think and behave differently is crucial. They have different convincer strategies, behavioural and communication strategies that allow them to understand what it is you want them to do.

All these elements play a role as well; we’ve looked at these areas in relationships. Building trust so those people will complete tasks, adopting a new frame of reference around perfection (and realising that perfection is never the goal), and seeing mistakes as opportunities to learn.

We are going to talk about how you can shift from delegation altogether to development, which is a key element of your role as a leader.

One of the challenges I hear from leaders all the time is, “I don’t have enough time to lead.” While that may feel true, I am going to help you understand that what we are discussing this month is the solution to that.

Being able to redistribute the workload in your team has a dramatic effect on the results you can all achieve together.

I just returned from two weeks working in Hong Kong and China. Guess what? Everything I asked to be done was completed. In fact, it meant I wasn’t needed all the time. That is one of the key challenges we face as leaders. If I give those tasks to someone else, what does that mean about me?

These are all things we will work on as we go through this conversation together this month.

That’s it from me for another week. Join me next week when we start unpacking the shift from do to through by replacing delegation with development. I’ll see you then.

TRANSCRIPT

Are you one of those people who is busy all the time yet still holds onto everything? I know what this is like because it's a challenge I encounter when working with people all over the world. It might seem counterintuitive to hold onto things when you're so busy, but there are reasons why we do this. So, this week, I want to start a conversation to help you end the year by shifting some thoughts, beliefs, and behaviours so that you can actually get more done.

Hi, this is Grant Herbert, Leadership and Sustainable Performance Coach, and today, I want to continue our conversation around the 9 Crucial Shifts for leaders, by helping you get faster results by shifting from do to through. 

We all work in a fast-paced world where there’s always so much to do, and it never seems to stop. As a leader, there comes a point in your career where you need to balance getting things done yourself and getting things done through other people. It’s a skill that many people find difficult to master.

I’m not saying I’ve mastered it completely—I’m still a work in progress. Even though I’m a subject matter expert in leadership, I’m learning every day. What I do know is that the old way of thinking and doing doesn’t work and what I’ve learned are shifts and changes that do. In today’s video, I want to lay a foundation for these ideas, and over the next few weeks, I’ll unpack some of the elements to help you let stuff go and get more done.

When you first started your professional leadership journey, it was all about YOU getting results from YOU. We looked at your performance, your positioning, and your productivity. And that is not something that you now throw out; you still need to do that. What you need to do, is as well as that, pass the baton to others.

Now, when I say “we need to”, you don’t ‘need’ to do anything. If you continue holding everything and getting it all done, then you’ll continue doing that forever. You don’t have to do any of this. You can be just like I was when I would listen to someone like me years ago. I would think, “Yes, that’s fine for you, but it doesn’t work for me.” However, it does work. So, I want to challenge you—if you’re thinking that way—to try what I’m talking about, even if it’s just to prove me wrong.

Delegation is not a dirty word, but it is one that is often misunderstood.

We are going to dispel some myths around delegation and address the feelings and belief structures surrounding what it is and what it means. We will examine the psychology behind why you avoid delegating to others. It is totally counterintuitive, as I said, to hold onto things while saying, “I’m so busy I never get anything done.” However, as a human behaviour expert, I understand why this happens.

The biggest element that stops you from delegating to others are those 3 universal fears: the fear of not belonging, the fear of not being enough, and the fear of not being liked or loved. What you do is paint a picture in your inner dialogue that says, “If I give that to someone else and they don’t do it well, I’ll be judged for that. It’s not them who will be judged—it’s me.”

Once again, everything I teach is underpinned by and has a foundation in your personal power, your identity, and your beliefs, including those 3 universal fears. Keep that in mind as we go through this.

Another thing to keep in mind is your “mini-me,” that still, small voice that sometimes won’t stay quiet. It will fight against this. Whenever you think and behave in a new way, that mini-me you’ve created to keep yourself safe will push back and say, “Hang on, what are we doing here? Why are you listening to this guy? We were doing fine without him.”

You will need to incrementally make shifts in your thinking and behaviour to make this important transition from doing everything yourself to achieving results through others as well.

The key element of this shift is trust. It is about getting to a position where you trust yourself and trust other people to represent you well. The second thing we will look at is "process". There is a particular way to delegate tasks to others so they can get them done effectively. 

Years ago, I was the kind of person who would walk past someone’s desk, throw a task at them, and say, “Here, do this,” before walking off. Thankfully, my team today is empowered to push back and say, “Hang on a minute, we don’t have enough information to do what you want. So stop, pause, and have a conversation.”

Understanding that people think and behave differently is crucial. They have different convincer strategies, behavioural and communication strategies that allow them to understand what it is you want them to do.

All these elements play a role as well; we’ve looked at these areas in relationships. Building trust so those people will complete tasks, adopting a new frame of reference around perfection (and realising that perfection is never the goal), and seeing mistakes as opportunities to learn.

We are going to talk about how you can shift from delegation altogether to development, which is a key element of your role as a leader. 

So, are you coming on the journey with me in December? I am ready to empower you to let go of the things you’re still holding onto so that you can have the bandwidth and energy to be who you need to be in every area of your life.

One of the challenges I hear from leaders all the time is, “I don’t have enough time to lead.” While that may feel true, I am going to help you understand that what we are discussing this month is the solution to that.

Being able to redistribute the workload in your team has a dramatic effect on the results you can all achieve together.

I just returned from two weeks working in Hong Kong and China. Guess what? Everything I asked to be done was completed. In fact, it meant I wasn’t needed all the time. That is one of the key challenges we face as leaders. If I give those tasks to someone else, what does that mean about me? 

These are all things we will work on as we go through this conversation together this month.

That’s it from me for another week. Join me next week when we start unpacking the shift from do to through by replacing delegation with development. I’ll see you then.