Leadership Skill Development Improvement Reflection Paper

REFLECTION PAPER

Reflection Paper: Leadership Skill Development/Improvement

Skill Improved

The skill that I sought to improve is the ability to delegate. From the onset, it would be prudent to note that as Sostrin (2017) indicates in a Harvard Business Review feature, those who wish to be great leaders must learn the art of delegation. This, according to the author, is more so the case given that leaders cannot personally attend to all the tasks and responsibilities associated with leadership. In essence, delegation could be perceived as the ability to assign authority to other persons for the execution or performance of certain tasks or roles (Hartley and Benington, 2010).

I have always found it difficult to permit other persons to execute certain tasks and/or give them authority to act on my behalf. I consider myself a perfectionist. This desire to ensure that various activities are done right has always kept me from trusting others enough to distribute certain tasks to them. Further, my approach to leadership has been rather hands-on. This is to say that even when I permitted others to perform certain tasks on my behalf, I found it difficult to detach from active involvement in the performance of the said tasks.

Activity/Description

To enhance my ability to effectively delegate, I selected and engaged in two activities. These activities are; consulted available resources/literature on how to engage in effective delegation of roles and tasks, and reached out to a mentor to guide me on principles and practical concepts of delegation. These activities have been discussed in greater detail below.

a) Literature on Delegation

To begin with, when it comes to perusing available resources/literature on effective delegation of tasks, I was largely interested in finding the various tips and strategies that could be deployed in efforts to become more effective in delegation of tasks. This, I reasoned, was an effective approach in this endeavor owing to the fact that there are business leaders and authors/researchers who have in the past explored the effective strategies and approaches needed to succeed in delegation. In one such resource, Kegan and Lahey (2009) point out that to delegate responsibilities in an effective manner, leaders must first identify personal factors that get in the way of delegation of tasks. On this front, the authors recommend that leaders ask themselves: what personal habits/behaviors could be stalling my efforts to delegate? It is after identifying the said personal habits/behaviors that one should engage in deliberate efforts to ensure that they no longer get in the way of effective delegation. In my case, the identified traits were an inclination towards perfection and tendency to engage in micromanagement. I addressed these by seeking to ensure that I communicate in an effective manner with subordinates so as to ensure that they are fully aware of the requirements of assigned tasks and responsibilities. This way, they are able to better execute the tasks at hand without my active involvement. Further, when the requirements of the task are properly understood, there is little room for poor performance.

One other crucial strategy towards effective delegation that I came across in the literature that I consulted is the need to select capable and skilled people for the task at hand (Barr and Dowding, 2019). This helps ensure that productivity is not compromised. Next, it is also important to note that according to Barr and Dowding (2019), the relevance of ensuring that team members have access to all the required resources and that they are sufficiently motivated cannot be overstated. Resources on this front could be inclusive of, but they are not limited to; “training, money, supplies, time, a private space, adjusted priorities, or help from others” (Barr and Dowding, 2019, p. 137). In seeking to ensure that team members are motivated, the authors categorical that for delegation to work, leaders must ensure that they do not set unachievable goals, are too demanding, or become unavailable for consultation. These are the skills and strategies that I have been actively applying in practical scenarios so as to become more effective in as far as delegation is concerned.

b) Mentor

I also identified the need to have a mentor whom I would be consulting on a regular basis on issues revolving around effective delegation. The mentor was in this case a family friend who runs a successful chain of grocery stores. It is important to note that so far, the said mentor has been very helpful in ensuring that I develop the capabilities I need to successfully and effectively assign tasks to other persons. In addition to letting me know that he was available at any time for consultation, my mentor has been following up on the progress I have made so far. Recently, I sought to find out from the said mentor whether one can delegate tasks deemed critical or sensitive, i.e. tasks that involve the handling of confidential organizational information. My mentor advised that one purpose of delegation is the assignment of various tasks to subordinates and team members so that sufficient time can be found to perform other tasks of relevance (i.e. tasks deemed too critical to the success and continued operation of an organization). He further pointed out that when a deserved web of trust has been established between a leader and certain subordinates, then critical/sensitive tasks can be delegated to those subordinates as well. Some of the other meaningful skills that I have learnt from my mentor in as far as effective delegation is concerned are inclusive of, but they are not limited to; the needs to understand (and factor in) subordinate strengths and weaknesses prior to delegation of tasks, the need to be open for consultation and provide guidance to subordinates, the need to ensure that communication and feedback are prioritized, etc.

Improvement/Lessons Learned

This particular activity was of great relevance in as far as the development of skills for effective delegation of tasks is concerned. Thanks to the activity, I am now able to better assign tasks and, hence, de-clutter my schedule. In the past, my schedule has been too crowded with tasks to the extent that I could not find time to unwind. In some instances, burnout ended up negatively affecting my performance. The activity has also made me appreciate the need to identify the right persons for the performance of various tasks. This is crucial so as to ensure that tasks are entrusted or distributed to those who are best suited to effectively execute them. In essence, this helps ensure that efficiency or productivity is not adversely impacted by delegation. I have also identified that for delegation to work, there is need to embrace an ‘open door’ policy in the sense that employees can freely consult on matters of relevance to the assigned tasks.