“Take water from RO Purifier in the black vessel and put one spoon of tea, let it brew for 5 minutes and then add some milk. The milk is kept in a bowl so don’t use a fresh packet.” I was listening as my mother was voicing out these instructions to our house help.
No she is not new to her job; neither is she making the tea for the first time. In fact she makes it every day!
I was slightly disturbed as I compared it to my workplace. I have felt stifled if my manager does not allow me the space to take my own decisions. My mother was the manager in this case.
I have often found that once a goal is set, it is most productive to let the executive figure out the details to make it happen. One may go to their manager if there is a challenge or if additional resources are required.
Delegation of authority in a true sense gives people wings. Everyone will have their unique way of doing things, but if you empower people you can get the best out of them. It may even surprise you as often the results would be better than when you would have done the job yourself.
The quintessential superpower to get more done then is not that you yourself take good decisions, but that you allow others to take those decisions. In the short term, it may at times backfire, however in the long term it is the main ingredient to a thumping success as it builds future leaders and capabilities.
Do you possess and apply this superpower enough?
As my mother voiced out that she wasn’t happy with how the tea tasted, I politely asked her, “Was it really the house help who made the tea today?”
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