Learning how to delegate effectively starts with giving people genuine ownership. Clear expectations help, along with the freedom to bring their own ideas, personality and energy to the task.
I was reminded of this at two of our recent Thriving Women retreats.
At our February retreat, I organised a scavenger hunt around Melbourne CBD. The plan was simple. Divide everyone into teams, send them off for an hour and have some fun before dinner. I chose a leader for each team, handed over the instructions and left them to it.
The team leaders took ownership in a way I hadn’t expected. They bought costumes, added fake moustaches and turned the whole thing into a very serious competition.
Our one-hour activity lasted three and a half hours!
We eventually arrived at a Mexican restaurant wearing various pieces of our costumes and laughing so hard our stomachs hurt.
As the facilitator, I sat back and thought, “Well, that escalated beautifully.”
When our next retreat rolled around, I decided to keep the activity smaller.
Bowling.
Easy. Contained. Surely even we couldn’t turn bowling into a three-hour adventure!
Then one of the team leaders asked, “Can we do it blindfolded?”
If you know me, you can probably guess my answer.
“Of course!”
Suddenly, we had two teams attempting to bowl while completely blindfolded. The gutters were up, the cheering was loud and the bowling was spectacularly terrible.
These women run successful businesses, lead teams, support families and make serious decisions every day. Within minutes, they were giggling like five-year-olds because someone had missed the pins by about three lanes.
It was glorious.
Give people room to surprise you
The activity itself became a small part of the lesson. The bigger lesson came from inviting other people to lead.
I created the conditions, chose the team leaders and gave them permission to make the experience their own.
They brought more creativity, competitiveness and ridiculousness than I would have planned. I didn’t have to carry every ounce of energy in the room, and everyone had an opportunity to contribute.
The same thing applies in business.
We can get used to holding every idea, decision, client interaction and solution. We become the person everyone turns to and stay involved in every detail.
Handing over ownership gives other people room to step up, bring their personality and create something better than we could have made alone.
They may approach the task differently. That’s part of giving someone genuine ownership.
Set the outcome and create some space
Effective delegation begins with clarity.
The person taking ownership needs to understand the outcome, the boundaries and the decisions they can make. Then they need enough space to work out how they’ll get there.
Before handing something over, ask yourself:
- What outcome am I asking them to create?
- What information do they need from me?
- Which decisions can they make themselves?
- Are there any boundaries they need to know about?
- When will we check in?
- How much room can I give them to make it their own?
When I handed those retreat activities over to the team leaders, they knew the purpose. They were there to help everyone have fun and connect before dinner.
How they did that was up to them.
The fake moustaches and blindfolds were entirely their contribution. 😂
Shared ownership changes the energy
People become more invested when they can help shape an idea.
They bring their strengths, spot possibilities you may have missed and build confidence through taking the lead. Shared ownership also gives you the space to focus on the work that needs your attention.
Joy helps too.
Our retreats include plenty of focused work. We talk about pricing, sales, leadership, profit, confidence and the decisions people have been putting off.
Laughter gives us energy for those conversations. It builds trust and helps people feel safe enough to be themselves.
The scavenger hunt and blindfolded bowling created some very funny memories. They also strengthened relationships and helped the women in the room connect with each other.
So, where could you loosen your grip and invite someone else to lead?
Choose one task, set a clear outcome and give the right person permission to make it their own.
They may take your idea somewhere you never expected.
Want more joy and connection in your business?
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