Letting Go: Making the Biggest Impact Through Delegation

Letting Go: Making the Biggest Impact Through Delegation

Don’t have time to read? Listen to the recording available through Best Friends Animal Society:

Written By Meaghan Colville
Shelter Director, Cincinnati Animal CARE
(Best Friends Executive Leadership Certification Graduate, Cohort 2)

Believe it or not, I can’t do it all. 

This is a fact that, at times, I’ve had a hard time accepting and if not in check, can drive me crazy subconsciously trying to disprove. 

The acceptance of this reality, however, is something I know is critical to my growth as a leader, the development of my team, and most importantly, the progress of my organization.

In animal services, everyone from entry level staff to executive leadership are used to wearing multiple hats. The perpetual staffing deficiency we experience, or at least the feeling of it, can create a habit of doing it all; of being involved in all things and at all levels. I know many supervisors and managers who feel the need to be directly involved in as many happenings at their shelter as possible- sometimes without even realizing it. The problem is, we’re not only less effective when spread so thin, but we are also rarely making the positive impact we think we are. 

Inserting ourselves into all aspects of our organization is tempting. By nature, leaders are often the first to raise their hand, the one to take on the bulk of a project, and the one who shows up most prepared (and therefore, know the “right” way to do something). Leaders are doers. They take action. And to ask them to turn over tasks to others and simply trust they’ll get done, and get done right, can be a scary prospect. However, leaders, by definition, need people to follow them and what great leaders know is that despite how far those positive traits like raising your hand, strong work ethic, and preparedness, got you, they will only get you so far. 

Cincinnati Animal CARE is a young organization, formed in 2020, that has seen rapid growth over the last 4 years. We have grown from an onsite population of 120 during Covid to over 500 today. We have also seen our 120% increase in staffing from 50 to over 100. When we were much smaller, I was, along with many of our managers, much more involved in the day to day but now, I simply can’t be. 

When I get too involved in an organization this big, I become a bottleneck. I simply don’t have enough information to make good decisions and frankly, don’t have the time to be focused on every single department, let alone every single decision within the departments. I understand that my job is to move the organization forward through larger initiatives, relationship building, and strategic planning. 

Work ON Your Organization, Not IN Your Organization

It is up to leaders to get out of the way and let our people do their work. Letting go and trusting are not easy, especially for people used to doing it all themselves but it’s something we all must do if we find ourselves in leadership positions. If you struggle with this, you are most likely experiencing at least one of the following:

You may notice that you don’t have time for “your” job. As a leader at any level, you are most likely tasked with projects that involve planning and direction. Your job assignments are designed to be at a bird’s eye view- ensuring the day to day is being completed, but most often, not actually doing the day to day work. If you find that you are often performing the tasks on your staff’s job description, you might need to start delegating and trusting your team. 

You may also notice that your team struggles to make decisions on their own and instead, frequently run basic job functions by you before taking action. This is often due to a lack of skill development (due to you doing the work- or thinking- for them), a lack of empowerment because they feel you want them to run things by you, or both. If your staff is regularly seeking your permission before taking action on day to day tasks, you might need to start delegating and trusting your team. 

You may also notice that you have a fear of taking time off because you feel like the shelter can’t function without you. If you are the only one who knows how to do something or you are worried the shelter will come to a halt in your absence, you might need to start delegating and trusting your team. 

When leaders spend their time working in their business, they no longer have time to work on their business. This is an important distinction and one that should be considered whenever we are determining how to best spend our time in leadership roles. 

Learning to Delegate and Trust

Delegating and trusting are not always easy, nor do they come naturally to many managers and supervisors. However, great leaders do these two things very well. Although delegation and trust are skills I must be aware of and intentionally work on, I have found that the following strategies have helped me get to the point in my leadership that delegating and trusting are commonplace. 

1. Hire People with Similar Values

Trusting someone enough to delegate starts with alignment on values and personal mission. When I interview someone, I do my best to sort out if we are similar in our values. To me, values are at the core of decision making and in my absence (because I’ve delegated), I want to trust that decisions being made are aligned with my vision of the department and the general direction of our organization. When I have lost trust in my direct reports, it is often because our decision-making compasses are not aligned. 

2. Provide them clear expectations

Although I feel decision making starts with core values, there is much needed room for guidance and expectations. To empower my team and for me to feel good about them working independently, it is up to me to provide them the blueprint to work off of. Everyone comes to jobs with a variety of backgrounds and personal experiences. Even if we have similar values, there are other factors that can influence decision-making and in the absence of clear direction from me, my team will be doing the best they can with what they know. Values will hopefully help them land close to where I want them to be but it is not guaranteed. I must make sure my team is aware of what I expect in a variety of situations. 

3. Set protocols for consistency

Some of my expectations can be established through clear protocols. Protocols can help take the thinking and decision-making out of a situation and ensure consistent behaviors, responses, and actions. Written protocols should be a priority of every organization. 

4. Push Back

I don’t want my team to become reliant on me. A habit I have held for a long time has been to answer their questions directly and insert my opinion, however, I’ve learned this doesn’t teach and it doesn’t empower. I try to be very aware of my team asking questions and resist the urge to tell them what to do. Instead, I want them thinking for themselves because when I’m not around, they’re going to have to. Now, when my team asks a question or wants my opinion, I try to respond with a question back to them. What do you think we should do? How would you handle this situation? Don’t let them become reliant on you. 

Believe in your Team

Over the last few years, I have needed to come to accept that in order for Cincinnati Animal CARE to grow and reach our potential, I need to step back and let my team do their thing. I now see my role as one of providing guidance and clarity, rather than performing the day to day tasks that keep our organization afloat. When I’m doing this well, it is a great feeling. I see my team thriving and I have more time to focus on the things I need to. 

We all want to make the biggest impact for the animals in our care and for the people we serve. And although counter to our nature, this often means doing less on those front lines. Instead, it is through our people that we will be able to thrive and grow as an organization and ultimately, do the most good. So take off all those hats you wear, and think about who you can hand them off to. You are so good at what you do.

Imagine if you could duplicate yourself.

Well you can – through others.