As a young leader (and even as an older one) I sometimes have struggled with ‘letting go’. Have you ever been caught saying “It’s quicker if I do it myself” or “It’ll be done properly if I just do it myself”? But you are not empowering your team when you try to do everything yourself.
At some time there will come a tipping point where you just can’t do everything yourself, and you will have to delegate to others. If you have given them opportunities along the way your team are more likely to be able to easily step up when needed.
Sometimes delegation can be seen as “dumping” on others. This should definitely not be your intention. When delegating it should be seen as a learning experience and come with a level of coaching to do the job well. Therein lies the rub – how to tread the fine line between supervising and giving them the freedom to work it out for themselves. This is where managers often find it quicker to do it themselves and ‘get it right’.
However this is a very short term view towards your team’s development and yours. When individuals in your team grow you can all benefit as the workload shifts, and their ability to take on more responsibility can raise your overall team performance. Next time think if it really is “quicker if I do it myself”.