Skip to main content


 
Letting go of responsibility is not something that comes natural for me.

I score high on Command in the StrengthsFinders assessment.

I have to discipline myself to let go…

And still…if no progress is taking place…I will make something happen…I promise.

The problem is that when I take over and refuse to let others in the organization lead…even at the risk that they will not complete it on my time schedule or the way I might have done it:

  • I keep myself from doing other things
  • I fail to provide growth opportunities for others.
  • I limit the organization from reaching it’s full potential

Leaders, if you believe in the concept of teamwork…sometimes you have to let go and let others take the lead.

What do you need to let go of and quit trying to control?

I know…I know…it’s hard to do. Leave me a comment…It will help hold you accountable.

(To read my StrengthsFinder, click HERE.  For more on the subject of delegation, click HERE AND HERE.)

Related Posts

Ron Edmondson

Author Ron Edmondson

More posts by Ron Edmondson

Comments (19)

Loading... Logging you in...
  • Logged in as
Ron,

I started delegating better when I began understanding and embracing my frailties and honoring other's strengths. Now I am all about finding people who have more skill than I have.

When it comes to delegating, I think we should delegate vision before tasks because it gives meaning to the work.

There's another way to describe delegating. It's get out of the way.
http://leadershipfreak.wordpress.com/2010/01/27/g...

Thank you for giving back to the community,

Leadership Freak
Dan Rockwell
1 reply · active 785 weeks ago
Dan I always love your insight. You are right. People are more likely to get behind a vision than a task. Good stuff
Yes. It makes good sense. Thanks for sharing.
Ugh! I have to ask myself this question EVERY day. I'm a very high D on DISC and Achiever on Strengths Finder. Kind of a nasty combination if you work for me and don't share that intensity. God is continually challenging me on letting go of control... it's the "lid" on my leadership a lot of times.
3 replies · active 784 weeks ago
Jenni I agree. I score high on Acheiver too. I think the key for people like us is to change our focus from the tasks that need to be completed to the overall purpose we are trying to complete. When I look at it from that angle my energies move more towards developing others, creative thinking, etc.

BTW. I think you are an awesome leader.
I would hire you any day!
What's been helpful for me is that God placed me under the leadership of someone who does not delegate. He showed me what type of leader I could end up being in the future if I don't change. It helped me to see that being a leader is more about helping others on to greatness (and replacing yourself) than getting the task done.
1 reply · active less than 1 minute ago
Melissa, I know many people that learned how to parent or do marriage this way...by not duplicating their experience. Great advice! Thanks for sharing.
Its good to giving chances leadership to some one else.......
Thanks for the post...
1 reply · active 785 weeks ago

Social comments and analytics for this post...

Trackback from uberVU - social comments

This post was mentioned on Twitter by ronedmondson: Do you know the danger of not "Allowing Others To Lead"? (New post) http://ow.ly/1pdghb...
As a teacher, my job is to give my students opportunity to shine. I encourage them to be assertive and to challenge me if they have real concerns, thus they become partners with me in their education.

True leadership is not about the leader, but about the goal. And, true leadership is not about control, but about results.
1 reply · active 785 weeks ago
Your on my thought wave...you'll read similar thoughts in tomorrow's post! Thanks!

4 “Easy” Steps To Delegating @ Ron Edmondson

[...] Yesterday I posted about the principle that letting go of responsibilities, even for the control freak leader like me, actually improves the organization.  You can read that post HERE. [...]

4 Benefits of Empowering Leaders for the Organization @ Ron Edmondson

[...] recently posted on the need for leaders to delegate and some steps to doing so. (Read those posts HERE and HERE) Following this post, I asked a supposed leader in an organization for a decision from his [...]

Most Tweeted Articles by Leadership Development Experts

[...] of creative people who are passionate about sharing the videos they ... 2 Tweets Allowing Others To Lead @ Ron Edmondson 2 Tweets 2morrowknight: The Incredible Rise of a Twitter Visionary How do you [...]

5 Reasons Leaders Tend to Micromanage | Ron Edmondson

[…] flourish, is learn to let go of control and let others lead.  (Read more about that concept HERE.)  If the problem is the organization or people, then work to fix it so you don’t have to […]

Post a new comment

Comments by