The Principal and The School Bus

Delegation Reluctance

There an old adage.

If you want something done right, you’ve got to do it yourself.

As long as you believe this is true, it will be. It’s one of several common excuses for NOT delegating. Here are some more:

• By the time I train someone, I could have finished doing it.
• They don’t have the _______________. Fill in the blank with: talent, knowledge, experience, patience, proper attitude.
• No one cares about this like I do.
• I really like doing it

Self-Fulfilling Prophecy

These are excuses for avoiding delegation. As long as you believe these excuses are valid, you’re right. How important is it to be right about this? What would happen if you were wrong? What if you allowed yourself to be pleasantly surprised by someone else’s ability to take things off of your plate?

A New Adage

When you find yourself about to perform a task that could or should be delegated, consider this:

The Principal doesn’t drive the School Bus.

Consider the role of a School Principal. What would people think about the administration ability of a Principal who regularly found it necessary to get behind the wheel of a bus?

It is easy to understand that driving a school bus is a mutually diminishing behavior for a School Principal and the bus driver. But when it comes to the bus driving tasks in your job, you can struggle seeing the difference.

Delegation Quiz

I challenge you to answer this fill-in-the-blank, multiple choice question.

Delegation requires ____________.

A: Effective Communication Skills

B: Attitude

C: Patience

D: Trust

E: All of the above

Reality Check

The answer is easy on paper. But more challenging in practice. So the next time you’re about to start doing a delegate-able task, ask yourself…

Am I getting behind the wheel of my school bus?

What kind of administrator am I really?

What am I really being paid to do?

There’s More

Read our other posts on Delegation >>