Want to Become a Better Delegator? Here’s How.
15 Want to Become a Better Delegator? Here’s How.
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[00:00:00] In today's episode, I'm going to share ways that you can get better at delegating to others so that you can feel less overwhelmed and take some items off your to do list. That's coming up next, right here on the Confident Principal Podcast. Stay tuned.
Welcome to the Confident Principal Podcast. I'm your host, Barb Flowers, a principal and life coach. This podcast is your guide to enhancing confidence, not just in your role as a principal, but in every facet of your life. Join me on this journey of growth, self assurance, and unlocking your full potential. Together, we'll explore how to become your best self. Let's get started.
Welcome back to episode number 15, where today's focus is going to be on the art of effective delegation. And it is an art. It is not always easy to get. delegate. And many of us can relate to that feeling of overwhelm that we feel when [00:01:00] we have an ever expanding to do list, wondering if we're going to be able to get it all done.
And as a new principal, I can distinctly remember the tendency that I had was to take on tasks myself. rather than delegating. I want to delight in the load for everybody else, including teachers, staff members, my secretaries, and in meetings someone would come up with an idea and I would be the one who would say I would do all the work to implement it.
I would say that's a great idea, what do we need to do, and then I would try to implement it. However, looking back, I realized I was doing more harm than good. Instead of empowering teachers to learn and grow, I was enabling them and I was also adding unnecessary stress. And so, even when I recognized the need for help, I still struggled to delegate.
I often took on tasks that others were more than capable of handling. And a turning point came when a teacher, leader that I had and I really respected, she pointed out that I was being overly involved in planning department meetings, [00:02:00] which was her job as teacher. Department Head. And it wasn't that she didn't want help or collaboration.
She just felt like I was trying to do it all and it was her job. And in my mind, I was trying to be helpful and take items off her plate because I knew she was busy with teaching and had a lot going on. But she expressed that she wanted to plan the meetings. That's why she became a department head. And she felt like I didn't have confidence in her abilities to plan the meetings.
So she thought that I thought less of her. And that revelation helped me to reflect on my own approach and acknowledge that me doing everything for teachers, I was doing it to be helpful, but some of them were perceiving it as me not being confident in their abilities or being able to trust them to delegate tasks So it was an interesting perspective shift when I got that feedback and could really think about what was happening when I was taking on every job in the building versus delegating to other teachers.
And principals often face the challenge of wanting to shield teachers and staff members from additional [00:03:00] workloads. We know that burnout is a really big issue right now and we're driven by a genuine desire to be helpful. Full, and we wanna prevent burnout in the school community. And the root of this issue, it often lies in the misconception that handling everything on our own is a necessary part of leadership.
That's part of being the principal. That's part of being the person in charge, and that is not true. That is just a misconception. What it happens is it actually leads to feeling overwhelmed and it brings self doubt with your ability to get the job done because then there's so many tasks that need done.
So efforts to combat overwhelm frequently involve attempts to enhance your time management or extend working hours. However, that's really not An effective strategy because all you're doing is working more. I was recently coaching a school leader and we were talking about how she was doing this exact issue.
She was lightening the workload for everyone else to help with their burnout, and then she would take home a. [00:04:00] All of the work and be working all evening. So she's working 10 to 12 hour days every single day and also working on the weekend because she's trying to lighten the load for everyone else. But all it does is creates a workload that is not sustainable for you if you try to do that.
So more effectively, So, the most effective and sustainable approach is to embrace delegation as a solution to overwhelm. Rather than taking on the entire burden, consider involving others in different capacities, however that looks in your building and with the strengths of your teachers. So today I'm going to give you a couple ways that you can get better at delegating.
Because like I said earlier, it is an art. It is something that takes practice and mindfulness and just you being aware of when you're delegating and when you're taking on things All on your own and you aren't letting others help. So my first tip is to discover and use other strategies. So have regular conversations with your team and the teachers that you're working with to find out what your [00:05:00] unique strengths are and passions.
So this could be one on one meetings you could have with them, you could do surveys. It could be through staff meetings. It could just be informal conversations that you're having. The more you're connecting and having conversations with staff, the more you'll find out what their unique strengths and passions are.
And then when you find out what those things are, Then you can encourage them to share their expertise and their skills with one another. So creating that collaborative environment where everyone's abilities are recognized and utilized. I find out a lot of teacher strengths during our PLC meetings because as teachers are sharing data, some will come with a different spreadsheet or a way that they analyze their data and so I'll find out someone who might be really good at analyzing data or they love analyzing data or just others who are very organized and good at coming up with systems for things and communicating things out to others so you can find strength through meetings and just Being with your staff as much as [00:06:00] possible.
And when I think about my building overall, each teacher and even each grade level, they all bring different strengths to the table. And that's really helpful when you're looking for people to lead and delegate different tasks. There are plenty of people in the building. We have about 24 Gen Ed classrooms, so about 40 to 50 staff members.
So lots of different people who can, I can delegate to, who can lead a building. So think about what those strengths are of your staff members. Also build trust and confidence in your staff. Establishing trust by being transparent about your expectations and why you're delegating specific tasks. So share your confidence in their skills and emphasize that you trust their abilities.
That's huge. Just like my story where I wasn't communicating clearly that I was trying to help that teacher and she took it as I didn't have confidence in her. I didn't trust her abilities. So make sure that when you delegate something [00:07:00] You're very clear that you trust their abilities. So, for example, if you do have a department head, I'm in an elementary, we have a primary, um, and an intermediate department head, really making sure that you, they know you trust them.
You trust their abilities. That's why they were chosen to be in that role and giving them that when they take on something or delegated something, it's because you trust that they can lead the staff in that. If you have no trust in your staff, then you're not going to be able to give them that space to lead.
So have the trust in them, give them space to And when I allow a staff member to be a chair of a committee or lead a certain aspect of the school, then I am giving them that space. And then everything on that committee or what they're working on, it's still discussed with me as the leader of the building.
I still know what's going on. They're checking in with me, we're collaborating together. But I'm giving them the space to lead the ideas, to make mistakes, letting them think of what would work best for their teams, for their committees. I'm giving them the ability to [00:08:00] lead. That's what's so important. I'm not micromanaging what they're doing, but allowing them to lead.
Also having clear communication is important. So provide. Detailed instructions, including the purpose of what you want them to do when you're delegating, and any specific guidelines that you have. Because clarity in your communication, it's going to eliminate any confusion and it's going to empower the teacher or staff member who's taking over to take ownership of that responsibility and to know that they're doing it in a way that you wanted to see it done.
Because sometimes if you give them So teachers or staff too much open space with no expectations or parameters, it makes people a little bit nervous about what they should be doing. So if you just give clear expectations of even take this idea and run with it, whatever that is, just being clear and communicating what you expect them to do.
Also, foster an environment where questions and clarification is welcome so that they're not afraid to come to you if [00:09:00] they're, if you delegated a task. They're They feel like they can come to you, ask you more questions, you know, find out and make sure that everybody's on the same page and it reduces the likelihood of misunderstanding.
So making sure that you have that open communication, that people feel comfortable coming to you. Also make sure that your staff is not afraid of being wrong or messing up when they make a mistake. Because if they know they can come to you, then you know, they'll come to you when they make a mistake.
So let staff know that communication is key and model that for staff as well. Which goes to my last tip, which is let go of perfectionism. When you're delegating, you have to let go of perfectionism. A lot of times why people don't delegate is they think I could do it better myself in a shorter amount of time.
And you have to acknowledge that when you delegate mistakes or opportunities for others to have learning and growth. And so encouraging a culture in your building where mistakes are viewed as stepping stones to improvement rather than failures is [00:10:00] so important. And mistakes are going to happen because that's part of being human.
So be aware of how you handle it when mistakes are made. Do you, you know, make a big deal about it or do you say, That's okay, we'll fix it this way or help. Brainstorm a plan to make it better, you know, but you want to make it a place where mistakes are valued. Otherwise, people are not going to want to lead.
They're not going to want to step up because they are going to be afraid to make mistakes. Also, make sure you're emphasizing the value of diverse perspectives and approaches. So, recognizing that tasks are going to be accomplished differently than you would do it. But it could still lead successful outcomes.
You are not the only one who can do that task the perfect way. Avoid forcing your ways on others and instead make space for new ideas and creative approaches from your teachers and staff. And you may find out that things actually turn out better when you let other people do them. It can be hard to let go of control, but when you help others, [00:11:00] learn to lead, and you empower them to take control, and you help build them up in certain areas, That is going to help them grow as leaders, and instead of you doing everything, you are going to be building a culture of leaders where people do want to step up, they want to help out, and you have lots of people who you can delegate to.
So you have to remember, when you were a new principal, you did lots of things that were probably not perfect or to the level that you're doing them if you have more experience now. And so those are the opportunities you have to give staff is to make, give them opportunities to make mistakes, give them opportunities to learn and grow.
So overall the key is to not work harder, but work smarter by embracing delegation, seeking input from others and fostering a collaborative approach within your school building. Because together we can navigate the challenges and ensure a more. Effective and sustainable leadership experience if you take help and if you're able to delegate.
So thanks so much for joining us [00:12:00] today for another episode of The Confident Principle Podcast. If you wanna take the next step in feeling less overwhelmed and getting better at delegating. Then reach out to me for one on one coaching. I would love to help you create a specific plan for feeling less overwhelmed and look at all the areas of your life that you may be able to delegate.
And one on one coaching, we can also work on your thoughts that prevent you from delegating to others. So you can reach out to me at barbflowerscoaching. com or on Instagram at barbflowerscoaching. Go share the show with your principal friends. Until then, I'll see you back here next time.
