Let Others Help - Learn to Delegate

It can be tempting to do everything ourselves. After all we know
what we want done and how we want it doing. And it can take such a
long time and be very frustrating setting aside the time to teach
someone else to do something that may only take a short time to do.
The problem with this mindset is that we end up doing everything
ourselves and dis-empower other people into the bargain.Other people
need to feel useful, capable, trusted and valued. They need to be
given the opportunity to learn new skills and develop their
confidence. In both a domestic and work environment people need to be
motivated to improve and stretch themselves.At home children and
partners can feel resentful and redundant if they keep offering to
help but are told to keep out of the way. Children need to the basics
of coping and doing simple chores. This helps them to develop
confidence and be able to function as they attend school or go to stay
with friends. A partner may want to participate in the running of the
household but learn over time to become disinterested and
unnecessary.In a work environment colleagues may want to learn new
skills and improve, but after a while become de-motivated and even
leave. Many people rate an interesting and challenging job as equally
if not more important than their levels of remuneration. Some people
may want routine and uncomplicated work but a real asset to the
business is someone who asks questions, comes up with ideas and wants
to learn. That person deserves to be treated as valuable.So, start to
let others help and learn to delegate:
- Look at yourself and address
why you are reluctant to allow others to help. Sometimes these
patterns can go back to childhood where there was a controlling parent
who always did everything, or perhaps alternatively a background of
chaos where doing things yourself became the only way to trust that
life was safe. Start to let go and appreciate that by letting others
help you improve your relationships, become part of a team and have
more freedom to do other things.- Trust other people. They need to be
treated with respect and allowed to grow and become more involved in
their choices. Teaching them new skills, a step at a time, encourages
them to improve. Provide an environment where they can ask questions
and check what they are doing with you. This avoids you needing to
constantly supervise every aspect of what they are doing.- Allow
feedback. Other people may find a different, perhaps even better way
of doing things. By being receptive to new ideas you gain additional
resources. Another person's ideas, enthusiasm, thinking can bring
improvements and alternative options into your methods.- Give praise.
Appreciating another person's efforts encourages them to continue
trying. Motivated people work harder, happier and with more effort.
Being generous in your praise builds their confidence in what they are
doing. After all the point of delegating is to empower people to take
some of the burden off you.By building a sharing, co-operative
environment everyone can work to their greater potential and gain more
confidence in themselves and satisfaction in their role. Delegating
provides opportunities for everyone to benefit.