As I mentioned in my last blog post, burnout is rampant among healthcare leaders. Yet, despite feeling the stress and overwhelm that comes with that burnout, many leaders find themselves unable to delegate effectively.
Why? From what I’ve observed as I work with healthcare organizations and their leaders to boost employee engagement and the patient experience, the failure to “let go” is a key contributor.
I’m seeing leaders taking on significant new responsibilities—like managing others, mentoring and coaching, budgeting and strategic planning for their business units—but failing to let go of responsibilities and tasks that don’t require their involvement.
There are a couple of reasons that I tend to hear as I talk with leaders about their sense of overwhelm and the challenges they’re facing with delegation.
Why Leaders Don’t Let Go
A common excuse for not delegating more is: “It’s just faster for me to do it myself.” That may be true at this moment but, taking the time to train others to take on new tasks and responsibilities will be faster in the long run.
Another very common reason: it’s hard to let go of the responsibilities that leaders felt comfortable with and that they excelled at when their new challenges might not be so comfortable. The result? They fall back on doing the work they used to do while, at the same time, needing to stay on top of new responsibilities. No wonder they feel burned out!
Leaders also often worry that if they let go of certain tasks and responsibilities their staff won’t do those tasks as well as they would, or they might make mistakes. Some may actually feel insecure that others will not only do the work correctly but may outshine them.
Pitching in can also be seen as a badge of honor. Some leaders may have felt resentful that their former supervisors and managers didn’t help out often enough so they’re determined that they will be different. They’ll pitch in when needed. Unfortunately, sometimes they pitch in too much.
In other situations, leaders have a hard time letting go because they like feeling needed. They like it when team members turn to them for assistance, advice, or the answers to questions. In some cases that’s appropriate. Certainly, leaders do have a role to play in coaching and counseling others. However, if this happens too much it not only saps the leader’s time, but it fails to fully develop employees to have the critical thinking and confidence to excel in their jobs.
Ultimately, despite the reasons for failing to delegate, the impact is the same—burnout and diminished opportunities for team growth. It’s a situation that needs to be turned around for the benefit of both leaders and their team members.
Learning to Let Go
There are some important steps leaders can take to help them learn to let go, freeing up their time and alleviating burnout, while helping to develop staff members.
First, acknowledge that not letting go is an issue that needs to be resolved. Commit to making changes by:
- Recognizing the comfort trap of holding on to old tasks that may be comfortable and familiar but aren’t really the highest value contribution they need to make in their new role.
- Reframing the “badge of honor” mentality. Constantly pitching in to do their old jobs keeps them from fully embracing their new roles and responsibilities.
- Building critical thinking among team members. Rather than continually being the decision-maker, focus on developing team members’ critical thinking and problem-solving skills.
- Accepting that, for now, some tasks may not be done as quickly or effectively as the leader might have done them. Those learning experiences are important, though, for employees to develop. And they will.
Learning to let go allows for team growth and succession planning for team members—and reduces stress and burnout for team leaders. It also maximizes the investment the organization has made in its human resources. While leaders can step in and lend a hand, their greatest value is in growing others.
An important first step: mastering the ability to let go. It’s a fundamental driver of effective delegation.
