Today we’re sharing insight from guest blogger Ron Kitchens, Chief Executive Officer of the Southwest Michigan First Group of Companies. We hope you enjoy Ron’s wisdom and perspective.
Don’t tell people how to do things, tell them what to do and let them surprise you with their results. – George S. Patton
Delegation: I do not know a single successful leader who thinks they are great at it. Even those that focus on delegation still take on more than they should. My grandfather told me as a child, “you can only put five pounds in a five pound bag and you must take things out to put things in.” Many times we have to remove the things we are good at and enjoy so we can pursue what could be great. It is just like a vine, if we want to increase the crop and the quality of the grapes that are produced; we have to trim the vine. The vintner knows they must remove those branches that produced healthy grapes last year to make room for this year’s harvest. Leadership is much the same.
I see a lot of leaders wait until they are stressed beyond capacity, then they begin to jettison responsibilities away in order to gain some capacity and save themselves. That is not delegation, that is not leadership, it is abdication. Great leaders understand that delegation is a decision, it is not abdication. Take a good look at your calendar, and ask yourself an age old question, “What is on my calendar that somebody else could do as well or better than I do it?” If we are being really honest with each other, you probably do not have the capacity to surpass what you are doing today and to drive excellence in your organization until you hand something over, until you trim your branches.
In my own experience, I have to ask myself, “What did people trust me with when I was young in my leadership that I’m not trusting people with today?” The fact of the matter is nobody will be great at something until they do it. Unless you hired in somebody who is a clone of you, they will not be as good at it or better than you until you give them a chance to succeed. That is what great leaders do; they empower their team to seek excellence, not just balance what is on their plate. I am pleading with you, for the sake of your leadership, team, and family, to comb through your calendar today and find what you are holding onto that is stopping you from being your greatest self, stopping your wine from being the best, stopping you from lifting up others and make a change today.
What’s The Risk?
Delegation can be difficult, but hitting a plateau is the greatest difficulty you run as a leader. By not trusting your team with new responsibilities and tasks you are not only halting all growth in innovation due to lack of capacity, but you are also not allowing your team to advance in their strengths and talents. The risk in not delegating is a team and organization that is unable to reach their true excellence. So, let me ask you, what is stopping you from a life of capacity, innovation, and excellence that all stem from the decision to delegate?
Always Forward,
Ron
This content was written and shared by guest blogger, Ron Kitchens.
Ron Kitchens learned the power of a job at an early age and has endeavored to share this revelation in the best way that he knows how since — by creating jobs. With more than three decades of experience in economic development, Ron serves as chief executive officer of the Southwest Michigan First Group of Companies, an award-winning cluster of privately funded economic development advisors who act as the catalyst for economic growth in Southwest Michigan.
Ron is also a nationally sought-after speaker and best-selling author whose works include Community Capitalism: Lessons from Kalamazoo and Beyond. Ron publishes a weekly leadership blog and bi-monthly podcast, Always Forward, which can be found at www.ronkitchens.com and on iTunes. Connect with Ron on Twitter and Facebook.
