So the irony of leadership is here. We think just because we are on stage and in front of people we are leading. We think we are leading when people applaud and stand in ovation for us. We think we are leading when we are showing a skill that no one else has. However leadership is not about the leader, it is about the...
What is irrelevant as a leader is that we are able to do SOMETHING better than someone else or the amount praise we get. What is relevant is how we motivate and raise up others, how we help them get on stage, help change them from being just a passive observer to an active participant. Then our leadership is truly shown when we step away from the stage. Does the level of excellence stay at the highest level?
How does this relate to delegation? It is delegation. Many times people feel that delegation is just getting somebody to do something. Delegation has a bad rap because of how it has been abused by poor leaders, typically managers who only have positional power getting things done they don't want to do.
Delegation needs to be [re]framed. What if delegation was [re]framed as "duplicating oneself"? Where delegation hits a deaf ear is when the means are justified to an end that is for your own cause, your own gain. Leadership duplication[delegation] is when the delagatee performs as good or better than the delegator, you. Remember in leadership, your ceiling is the floor to those under you. Is your motive in leadership to pad your successes OR to raise the platform of your follower above you? Let your leadership delegation[duplication] be an elevator of their opportunity to reach brilliant potential.
Coaching Moment:
Who are you delegating[duplicating] leadership to?
How are you insuring their brilliant potential?