“I trust everyone around me to be as good at what they do as I am at what I do.” – Jay Leno
by Jack Warren, host of the Top Coach Podcast
On a recent episode of Mike Rowe’s podcast, Rowe tells a story about being with Jay Leno for a taping of his car show. Rowe noted Leno’s calm demeanor and his workmanlike approach to the show. When he asked Leno about it, he said, “I trust everyone around me to be as good at what they do as I am at what I do.”
Now the folks on the production team don’t work for Leno, but they work with Leno on a regular basis, almost if they are part of his team. The point, however, is the same when it comes to you and your staff when it comes to delegation. There is an implied level of trust that is evident in healthy organizations.
The start of delegation begins when you ask a question like recent Top Coach guest, Dr. Tom Davis, when he asks, “What are the things that only I can do?” He notes that the list is very short. Beyond that short list are the areas open for delegation – assigning tasks to others.
Then comes the hard part – trusting that the people around you will “be as good as what they do” as you are at what you do. Believe me – once you allow yourself to let others do their job, it will free you up in more ways than one and will lead to a healthier organization.
Photo by Nick Fewings on Unsplash
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