Introduction

Welcome back to Linking Our Libraries! This week we are going to talk about Delegation as a tool that leaders use to get things done.

We are the Central Minnesota Libraries Exchange, and we are here to chat with you this season about building your leadership skills. We provide support and training for all types of libraries, and our work can be used by anyone who wants to build skills, and to become a better leader in your own organization.

Do you want to talk with us further about leadership skills? Do you need some training organized for your organization? We are here for you! Check out our website: cmle.org and let’s get this started!

And while you are here, we would love for you to join our community of leaders! Check out our Patreon page, help support our podcasts, and get some fun rewards. Official Office Dog, Lady Grey, thanks you for your support of good leadership!

And now, on with the show!

 

The Basics

Think about the stereotypical librarian. Older, female, white. Probably a bun of hair tied back until her scalp looks like it is screaming. And for sure, she’s shushing people.

This is a person who is going to struggle with delegation. This is a control freak, who believes in her heart that everything has to be done HER way, and that she is the only one who can truly get things done the way they should be done.

Yuck.

Take a moment to rejoice that this outdated stereotype is not relevant to most of what we are doing today!

 

Instead, leaders know that delegation is the key to getting things done. Learning to just relax and delegate will make you a better leader, will make your library stronger – as you bring in everyone’s skill and interest, and will make the people around you more invested and involved with the work  – so they care about doing a good job.

What is delegation? For our discussion today, we define it as handing off both responsibilities and sufficient authority to accomplish necessary tasks.

 

Some of you are shrugging your shoulders and thinking this is all obvious – you delegate all the time, and things are going well. A few of you are wishing you could have a paper bag to breath into right now, because just the idea sounds terrifying.  And probably most of us are somewhere in between those poles.

 

Let’s talk about the anxiety involved in delegation, and work out some strategies for helping it to happen in a way that works for you and for the people around you!

 

 

Obstacles to Delegation

• You like the work too much. This is a good problem, for the most part. When you like your job, and you like the tasks that need to be done, it can be hard to let them go. But this is a good opportunity to think about who else might be effective at getting things done. If you have tasks that only you can accomplish (think carefully before you decide that), you need to keep those – but everything else can be considered for sharing with other people.
• You know you are ultimately responsible for the results. This can be hard. When your evaluation or your job future depends on things going well, it can be hard to let go of things that are important to your future. You might start with small things, and see how it goes. If there are no disasters, then you can increase the amount or the importance of the work you delegate. Remember: you look like a better leader when you delegate, so this is another way to show your skills.
• You don’t trust your staff or colleagues. When you do not think that other people have either the same level of dedication to doing good work, or the same skill level you possess, it can be hard to delegate out work. Think carefully about how to improve this. Would it help to discuss the importance of this work? Would it help to provide some training? Would it help if you step back and let people make mistakes they can learn from, to help them improve? If you truly cannot trust your colleagues or staff, then delegation is probably not a good idea – but be sure you are right before you come to that conclusion.
• You know people around you are already overworked. This can definitely be a problem. Every library is understaffed and overworked; that is just how most of us are operating now. Any extraneous staff members were probably dropped long ago, and managers begging for more staff is a common issue. Think about this before you start delegating work. Can you swap duties around between people? Are there tasks that can be dropped? Libraries cannot be all things to all people – don’t even try. Don’t do more with less; if resources and staff are in short supply, then drop something else. Eliminate what you can, then delegate what still needs to be accomplished.
• You are worried you won’t be necessary. This can be really hard. It is not unreasonable to think that if other people can do your job, you might not be necessary. The best way to overcome this problem is not to cling to things, but to expand. Keep learning new skills, keep trying new things. A leader, an employee – these people will always be valuable when they can demonstrate they have things to contribute and ideas to share. The best way to show that is by staying relevant and bringing new things to the table. The worst way to try to retain your own importance is by refusing to share ideas and information with other people. Aside from being terrible for building teamwork, it makes people look weak when they try this strategy.

 

Strategies to Improve Delegation

So now we know some issues that can cause trouble in delegating, and we have some basic ideas on overcoming those problems. Let’s talk about the process of delegating in general. You want to do this well, to give everyone the best chance for success; and a few tips can help to make your skills sharp here.

 

• Get in the mind frame that You Delegate. Think of yourself as a leader who delegates. When you know that you are someone who shares the workload, it feels less weird or awkward to do so.
• Be very clear in what tasks you are delegating. Ideally you do not want to just wave your hands and say “fix up the Circ department” without some additional instructions. Most projects are complex, or have multiple parts. Discuss with the person being delegated to what, exactly, you need them to do; and potentially discuss what you do not want them to do.
• Give enough authority to get things done without you. You aren’t really delegating if someone has to come back to you after every little thing happens. Be sure the person has the authority to order supplies, to change the schedule, to rearrange the YA books – or whatever else they need to accomplish the task. If that means giving them cash, telling a department that this person will be in charge of a project and they should as her questions, or whatever else she needs to complete the task assigned, do that and then step back to let her work.
• Set a time limit. While you do not want to micromanage (that’s always a bad idea!), delegating does not mean you never hear anything else about the task. Set up a deadline for the person to be finished, and then you can check in periodically to see how things are going.
• Be open to feedback and questions. Still not micromanaging, you can definitely make yourself available for questions and ideas that develop as your project moves forward. Delegating can mean that you are still involved with the big decisions on a project, and that you can receive updates and reports. Be ready to assist as necessary – but try not to insert yourself until asked.
• Evaluate the results. If you have listened to our prior episodes, you knew this was coming! Evaluation is always a final stage in any project. Talk with the person who took on the delegated task. How did he think it went? Does he have ideas for pushing it further, or for trying a related task? Is this something that should be delegated to him on a permeant basis now? If it went badly – and sometimes things do – how could it be better next time?
• Deep breathing and meditation. No matter how calm and self-confident you are, no matter how competent and helpful your staff or colleagues are – delegating your work out to others can just be scary stuff. When you get the urge to panic, or you want to micromanage every single thing – take a deep breath. Now blow it out. Do this a couple more times. Listen to our episode on Stress Management. You will be fine. Delegation is a great skill for leaders, and you are doing the right thing. (Take one more deep breath, just to be sure.)

 

Now that you have some ideas about successful delegating, let’s put them to work!

 

Quiz Time!

We are here to learn some useful new skills to help you build your leadership skills, so we want to see how well you have learned this week’s lessons!

 

We want everyone to think about our procedures this week. No matter how good at delegation you may already think you are, take some time to follow our strategies for improving your skills. Be deliberate as you do this, and walk through the whole process. This can be a small delegation, and it can apply in any situation. Delegate to your kid, or your Reference Department, or to your plumber – whatever you can accomplish this week.

 

Then send us an email at admin@cmle.org, or comment on our show notes page for this episode, and tell us how it went! Your results can be good, bad, or just thoughtful. We will pick out the best response and send you a special postcard reward from Official Office Dog, Lady Grey. (We’re delegating the task!), and a mention from us in a future episode. We are looking forward to hearing from you about your experiences!

 

 

Books We Read

 

 

If you want to get some more book ideas, we would love you to join our podcast book group! Check out our podcast Reading With Libraries, and join us for a new genre each week. We drink beverages matching up with the genre, talk about places to find more info on the genre, and have Guest Hosts who help us to excitedly share all kinds of books we have loved! Join us!

 

Conclusion

Thanks so much for joining us today! Sharing the load at work can help to make everyone more successful. Adding this skill to your leadership toolbox will make you better able to get great things accomplished for your organization.

Tune in next Thursday for another important leadership skill! We are looking forward to chatting with you then.