Doing things with my kids is a great place for me to practice my leadership. Are they going to listen to me just because I’m the boss in this house? Nuh-uh.
And while the 3-year-old versions wanted to do EVERYTHING themselves, the teen and pre-teen are connoisseurs of accepting help. For everything.
Motivating teens is one of life’s biggest challenges. Throw in a bit of anxiety, self-doubt, and opinions, and you’ve got a party on your hands.
How To Delegate Like A Pro
With my teens, this is my go-to method:
Set up the task.
Describe the desired outcome.
Check for understanding and how they will approach it.
Then leave them to it.
Do the Real Delegating bit
Then I leg it.
Make a run for it.
Get busy with something else.
Most definitely go to a different room.
Be available so they can ask follow-up questions, but don’t look over their shoulder all the time.
Follow Up
When they check in with me, I give encouraging feedback. I tell them what they are doing well. I make suggestions for improvements. I remind them that their ideas are great and they don’t have to do it my way.
(ooh I’m quite a stickler about many things, and I know so many of the “right way” to do things. It’s one of my charms that is best kept to myself though).
Then I leave again.
I scarper.
Flee.
Run away.
Go back to the other room and let them be.
When it’s hard to delegate, sometimes it’s best not to look. So delegate and run.
This post is part of my special Coaching Tips Series. This series was inspired by my clients and the core themes in their challenges. When we can apply these tips, we bring a lot of ease into our lives and step into our leadership. Want to talk it through with me? Use a free Experience Coaching session and I’ll help you.