121. Delegation Dip Part 1: Micromanaging

<p>Discernment is a topic I address here often, and for good reason: It's a key ingredient to many aspects of strong leadership.</p><p>One of the areas in which discernment is especially important is delegation.</p><p><br></p><p>Whether at home with your family or at school with your team, there are times to delegate and there are times to maintain ownership of tasks.&nbsp;</p><p><br></p><p>Just as you wouldn't delegate the responsibility of driving your car to your 12-year-old son, you wouldn't delegate a high-level, mission-critical task to someone who's new to the school or their role.</p><p><br></p><p>And when you <em>do</em> decide it's appropriate to delegate a task, it's important that you keep in mind what I call the "Delegation Dip."</p><p><br></p><p>The Delegation Dip is a 3–6 month period where the one who's newly responsible for a task is still learning the ropes. During this time, no matter how qualified the person may be, they're likely to underperform as they learn how to meet (and exceed) expectations.</p><p><br></p><p>It can be extremely difficult for leaders to be patient during the Delegation Dip—usually because they care so deeply about the overall outcome. And that can lead to three different negative behaviors: micromanaging, neglecting, and hiring too soon.</p><p><br></p><p>This week's podcast episode is the first in a three-part series exploring the Delegation Dip and how you as a leader can respond—rather than react—to this phenomenon. Today, I'm discussing micromanaging, the first of the three most common negative reactions to the Delegation Dip.</p><p><br></p><p>Join me for a conversation about:</p><p><br></p><ul><li>The process of deciding when to delegate</li><li>The Delegation Dip and the three most common ways leaders react to it</li><li>What micromanaging looks like</li><li>How you can avoid micromanaging during the Delegation Dip</li></ul><br/><p><br></p><p><br></p><p><strong>Learn more and apply for the Director’s Inner&nbsp;Circle &amp; Owner’s HQ:&nbsp;</strong><a href="http://