How To Decide Between Delegation and Empowerment

*Guest post by Robb Bender, PhD, PAS and Partner of GPS Dairy Consulting, LLC.

Delegation and Empowerment are both effective tools to get work done around a dairy and business – deciding which is most appropriate is a tough challenge that we face on a regular basis. It’s a decision that constantly changes as our business and dairies grow, and one that is exceedingly impactful for the long term people development plan on our farms.

When you choose to delegate work to others, you are sitting in a managers shoes and realize that work simply needs to be done, and it can no longer be done by yourself. It’s more of task-oriented decision that moves things off of your plate, and onto another person’s plate.

The decision to engage in delegation alone can be a difficult one to make. Many of us are used to doing the work ourselves, and when a business grows to the point where you simply can’t do all of the work, it’s really tough to give up jobs to someone else in an effort to free up your time for other things. Tough to do….but very necessary.

Even more difficult, is when you make the tough decision to empower someone instead. If you make the active decision to empower someone, you are involving them in the decision-making process, getting their input and feedback, and allowing them to take the reins. You are suggesting to them that you trust them and believe they can and will make the right decisions to move your business forward. It requires a leadership component on your end to see the value that the individual has to your business. It’s about giving up a little bit of authority and transferring to another person on your team. In short – it’s about giving up control.

So to simplify: Delegation is about giving up work. Empowerment is about giving up control. Both are very necessary and very tough to do as your business grows and changes. The ability to decide which tool to use and take a step back is the most difficult part. Cheers to the journey!