By CPA Jedidah Wambugu
A Higher Leadership Calling All Forward-Thinking Leaders Should Embrace
The most frequent and traditional thinking at the mention of the word LEGACY is, what will people say were my achievements when I am long gone?
While this by all means makes utmost sense, where is the place of IMPACT in the society?
Legacy defined
The general dictionary meaning of the word Legacy but not limited to just this meaning is, the long-continuing impact of events and particular actions. Impact in a similar dictionary means having a strong effect on someone or something.
In the context of; Who is your Legacy? the impact on people is more desirable. This then shifts the focus from self to the big picture, which is the impact in one’s Circle of Influence.
Stewardship Delegation defined
The simple dictionary meaning of stewardship is the careful and responsible management of something entrusted to one’s care.
Delegation involves the process of distributing and entrusting work to another person.
Stewardship Delegation then is distributing and entrusting the right level of responsibility and authority; allowing the individual to own the work and communicate progress and outcomes at agreed upon intervals. This does not preclude offering guidance and support when needed. The converse of Stewardship Delegation is Gofer Delegation. A type of delegation that involves assigning tasks to people without any prior engagement or buy- in. It mainly focuses on specific instructions for how, what, and when to complete a task. Unfortunately, this kind of delegation takes an outside look where the executor does not own the assigned tasks.
A case of Who is my Legacy in Stewardship Delegation means beginning with the end in mind, growing people in your leadership and forward thinking on a lasting impact outside self.
Pre-requisites of Effective Stewardship Delegation
You cannot effectively delegate a task or an assignment until you understand the dynamics of your team. These include but are not limited to the following questions: Does the task require exceptional skills or experience? What sort of training is required and available? What time commitment is required for the task that an individual must be made aware of before accepting the assignment? All these are pertinent concerns that need to be addressed before engaging in Stewardship Delegation considering it is a long-term investment on the delegate and a long-lasting outpouring of the delegator.
It also requires a careful assessment of the task or assignment itself by the delegator in the appraisal of the people who might be available to step in. Depending on your own part — whether you are offering counsel to the leader who must make the final selection decision or whether you are the leader making the final decision — these concerns must be considered and addressed.
How do I train and inspire the delegate to accept and conduct this stewardship with excellence? This really is pivotal because too often assignments are given with the false supposition that the task will always be done duly and instantly through the goodwill of the delegate. In reality, the delegate may have the best intentions to undertake the assignment but lack the productivity capability and confidence to follow through with the assignment. That is the place of clarity of expectations in the delegation formula; the communication between the two parties must be clear, up-front and the commitment regarding the assignment must be mutual.
Crucial Focus Areas of Effective Stewardship Delegation
. Desirable Outcome
The effective delegator explicitly articulates the desired outcomes, which includes specifying expected results, deadlines, and quality standards. It is necessary that both parties have a clear and mutual understanding of the end game.
- . Guidelines
The delegator outlines guidelines upon identifying the desired outcomes. These form a framework for the delegate while letting them work with some level of autonomy as they adhere to certain parameters, such as budget constraints, deadlines, or company policies.
- Resources
The rational delegator provides the necessary financial support and otherwise—including training, tools, access to data, or personnel—to remove any hinderances in achieving the desired outcome.
- Accountability
Stewardship delegation involves jointly agreed upon accountability by the delegator and delegate. This includes regular update meetings and progress reports to assess whether the project is tracking as planned.
- Consequences
The delegator and delegate highlight rewards and consequences for both success and failure, respectively. Potential positive outcomes include reward, recognition or more responsibility while negative consequences may warrant extra work or lead to lack of trust.
Benefits for the Delegator
- Focus on Strategic Thinking
Delegating outcomes instead of tasks allows the delegator to oversee more strategic issues for the organization with satisfactory level of confidence and without micromanaging the delegates.
- Enhanced Trust
Stewardship delegation establishes trust between the delegator and delegate thereby strengthening relationships and fostering collaboration.
- Empowering Team Members
Allowing delegates to manage tasks and to some extent self supervise motivates the team members to manage complex tasks, reducing the need for managerial involvement in minor decisions.
- Improved Decision-Making
Clearly defined outcomes allow the delegator time and space to think critically, enhancing decision-making and alignment.
Benefits for the Delegate
- Greater Autonomy
The delegate is able to enhance self supervision and try various approaches to achieve the desired outcome, fostering creativity and innovation.
- Skill Enhancement
By focusing on the desired outcomes, delegates enhance their critical thinking, problem-solving, and leadership skills. This ultimately prepares them for more challenging roles in the future.
- Ownership and Accountability
- Increased accountability leads to a greater sense of ownership over the delegate’s work. This motivates them to invest in the project’s success and learn from their mistakes when the desired outcomes are not achieved.
- Improved Trust and Recognition
Successful outcomes result in greater trust and recognition from the delegator which can lead to increased responsibility, career advancement, and personal growth opportunities in future.
In summary, Stewardship Delegation, is a higher leadership calling that all forward thinking balanced leaders should embrace to divert attention from self in order to reach convergence and embrace the concept of Who is my Legacy? whereby a leader’s potential is fully maximized, and the impact is global and generational.
CPA Jedidah Wambugu is a Deputy Head Finance at Central Bank of Kenya Institute of Monetary Studies.
wambuguj@centralbank.go.ke
