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😬 It’s f***ing obvious, but failure to delegate is bad!

Delegation is a often touchy subject among data leaders. Many I speak to really struggle with it. While there are a number of reasons why many are reluctant to delegate, the impacts of failing to do so are far reaching. And few realise just how bad they can be.

Getting a grip on your delegation skills is a minimum requirement for succeeding as a leader in any field, data included. But the nature of our work and skills sets make this easier said than done.

Unfortunately, failing to address this and grow your delegation muscle is going to seriously limited your ability to prevail and grow as a leader.

Perhaps the worst impact though is that it seriously pisses off and limits the growth potential of the people you manage.

☣️ What’s your problem, man?

The impacts of a failure to delegate are far reaching. While it might just seem like you’re not great at getting things off your plate and on to other’s, the reality is that it’s far, far worse than that.

It will impact you in ways you may not have considered:

• Tactically: Basically, you’re over stretched. You take on too much and the more involved you become, the more this problem perpetuates, the harder and harder it becomes for you to eventually hand over the work. Aka: digging your own grave.🪦 

• Cognitively: If you’re a data leader then you’ll be expected to participate at the strategic and managerial level. If you’re unable to hand over tasks, then the constant context switching will ultimately make you ineffective both as a doer and as a leader. Oh, and your brain will hurt too. 🧠

• Managerially: You limit your teams exposure to higher value work. If you’re not delegating tasks then it is likely you’re not letting your team take on new challenges that would enable them to grow. I which case, they won’t stick around. ✌🏼

• Reputationally: If you fail to operate at a level becoming of your title and your peers, then you will not be recognised and respected as a leader. 🙇🏽‍♀️

Learning to delegate is a core skill for effective leaders, not just in data, but across all domains. But the nature of data and its skills-centricity make delegation an often challenging pursuit.

But with the right attitude and approach, delegation can be mastered.

Here's how:

🫡 Delegation is your new M.O!

I don’t need to labour on about why learning delegation is so crucial. Suffice to say, sucking at it is akin to an existential crisis for a data leader. Those data leaders who don't effectively delegate (many of you) are living on borrowed time.

Getting started with delegation is not an overnight thing. While there may be a whole host of small tactical items that you can get off your plate today (and you should), in many cases, approaching delegation effectively will require many conversations, and a strategic shift for your data team.

Let’s explore how:

👩‍🏭 Clearly defined roles and responsibilities: Ensure that each team member knows exactly what they’re responsible for, and how it contributes to the overall project or organisational goals.
Create clear documentation that outlines project scopes, tasks, deadlines, and decision-making authority. Use collaboration tools like Jira, Asana, or Trello to track accountability.

🎯 Delegate According to Strengths and Development Needs: Your team members will have varied skill sets and career growth goals/trajectories. Delegating tasks that align with their strengths AND their ambitions, is the approach most likely to succeed.

I highly recommend any team undertake a strengths assessment, such as Clifton Strengths by Gallop. This will help you understand the makeup of skills and strengths in the team and to assemble and delegate team tasks appropriately.

✅ Trust but Verify: Initially, you may have concerns about the quality of the work being done. That’s ok. Trust and empower your team to take it on, create an environment in which they know they are safe to fail, and provide oversight and guidance throughout the project. This will build confidence and eventually, they’ll be safe and eager to go it alone!

👨🏾‍🏫 Provide feedback and continuous learning: If you think delegation is just about task completion, then you’re not fit to lead a team. It’s actually about skill development.

Offer constructive, timely feedback after tasks are completed, and focus on both what went well and areas for improvement. Encourage a culture of peer reviews, where data models, code, or analyses are reviewed by team members for input and additional context. Do this and your team will grow immensely.

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Delegation is as much about growing your team as it is about freeing you up to be the leader you’ve been entrusted to be. It isn’t simply about giving people work to do - it is much much more than that.

It is a mechanism for honing potential, growing skills and leading effectively.

Good luck with it!

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Tristan Burns

Find me on LinkedIn or Book a 1:1 call