"If you can’t be replaced, you can’t be promoted."

In my 7 years as a leader in an organization, I had never known delegation in a way that was described in the article. I had struggled to delegate because I felt that I was imposing on others and shirking my responsibilities. Moreover, it seemed to take more time to ensure that whoever I've delegated the task to, is able to cope, because at the end of the day, I'm the one who will be answerable. It was way easier to do it by myself.

As much as I believed in teamwork and tapping on others' strength, I also struggled with having to answer to my superiors regarding the work. I wasn't alone in this struggle. About 90% of my fellow leaders struggled to delegate for the same reasons. Our superiors often urged us (but didn't taught us how) to delegate as much as possible. However, to us, the middle managers, we saw "delegate" as a dirty word and we would respond by looking at one another sheepishly. We had never had an open discussion regarding delegation versus developing. I suspect our superiors also didn't have that opportunity.

As one can imagine, when the leaders related to "delegation" negatively, it is no wonder the people in our teams felt the same way when a task was delegated to them. They didn't see it positively despite our efforts to explain that this was an opportunity for them to grow. Rather, they saw it as additional work. I wouldn't blame them for thinking that way because we were simply assigning tasks to them without even ensuring they had the confidence and competence to do it well. I believed they must have had their confidence crushed several times and didn't feel safe to share with the leaders. That turned into resentment and negativity, especially when things go wrong.

Therefore, I especially loved how the author encouraged managers to see ourselves as trainers. When we put on the hat of a people developer, we will be constantly thinking of ways to level them up. Every tasks becomes a training ground and not a high stake assessment. As in every training ground, support structures will be in place and trainees go through differentiated tasks based on their current abilities and what they hope to achieve. Everyone grows at their own pace. After each session, there will be debriefing sessions to highlight strengths and areas for growth. This, in a nutshell, is what a developmental plan should feel like. It will take time but it is better to "waste" time now to save time in future.

However, to allow such a culture to thrive, trust must first be built. And it starts right from the top. Leaders need to prioritize creating a safe environment where there is a high level of trust between leaders and employees. Without which, we will be back to square one.

https://hbr.org/2018/10/how-to-stop-delegating-and-start-teaching?utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=hbr&utm_source=linkedin&tpcc=orgsocial_edit