Only Do What Only You Can Do

The Art of Successful Delegation.

Previously on Giuseppe’s Glimpse: In the last episode, we explored effective strategies for developing and retaining top talent, as well as common pitfalls to avoid. If you missed it, catch up here! 🌟

Buongiorno everyone! 👋

A couple of weeks ago, I had the honour of delivering a keynote for PwC Italy's 300 recently appointed managers. 

Sharing valuable insights has always been a passion of mine, a drive that started in my early career with teaching and continues today. 📣

Speaking engagements allow me to travel, share ideas and experiences, learn from others, and draw lessons from different markets.

That's why I'm thrilled when I see my upcoming schedule, which includes talks in the UK, France, South Africa, Bulgaria, Brazil, Chile, UAE, and, of course, my beloved Italy. 🌍

As a corporate keynote speaker, I've learned two key principles when addressing senior audiences like the PwC management team:

#1 Avoid lecturing only with theories

Senior professionals don’t need a lecture filled just with theories or a list of "been-there-done-that" stories. 🚫

Instead, your job on stage is to create eureka moments where they connect with your message and reframe their experiences based on your insights.

#2 Avoid repeating readily available information

It doesn’t make sense to tell them what they can read in business literature. 📚

Your job is to share a blend of solid theories with practical experiences from your career—a unique mix of real-life corporate experiences, mistakes, successful moves, and proven theories.

This is how you bring real added value to the table. 

It’s important to remember that being a speaker at a corporate event is about the audience. 

The speaker is there to serve, not to shine. 🌟

The key to effective leadership

I believe this holds true for most leadership roles. 

A good leader serves the community, guiding harmoniously rather than dictating to highlight their superiority. 🤝

During my talk with the PwC team, I shared what guides me in leading teams, focusing on delegation and overcoming new managers' challenges. 

Here are my three golden rules:

#1 Only do what only you can do

As a new manager, you have far more on your plate than before. 

Accept that you can’t (and shouldn’t) do everything yourself. 

List all your tasks and projects for the month, identify the high-level work only you can do, and delegate the rest. 🗣️

Be careful not to take things for granted though—communicate expectations clearly, explain the project's big picture, and highlight the importance of each contribution.

#2 Lead, don’t labour

Create the right conditions for you and your team to thrive. 

Check-in periodically, offer constructive feedback, and provide the necessary resources to complete assigned tasks. 🛠️

Celebrate milestones and publicly recognise your team’s efforts. 

Your success now depends on helping your team grow and achieve their goals. 

Guide them, offer learning opportunities, and hold them accountable without micromanaging.

#3 Quit as soon as you can

The goal of a team leader is to become unnecessary as soon as possible. 

This is how you progress in your career and empower others to grow. 🚀

Often, we hear that leaders should make their team members better than themselves so that the student surpasses the master. 

I would argue that this is not enough. 

Leaders should inspire their team members to become teachers themselves, continuing the cycle of growth and improvement. 🔄

Why delegation can fail

Throughout my career, I’ve made many mistakes and gained valuable insights about delegation. 

In particular, I’ve noticed that delegation fails when leaders struggle with the following:

#1 Perfectionism 💯

Leaders who seek perfection may struggle to let go of tasks they believe only they can do correctly.

#2 Lack of trust 🤝

Leaders might not trust their team's abilities.

#3 Fear of competition 😟

Some leaders fear that delegating tasks might make them less indispensable or be overshadowed.

#4 Poor communication 🗣️

Ineffective communication can result in unclear instructions and expectations.

#5 Inadequate training and resources 📚

Without proper support, team members may struggle with delegated tasks.

Reason #5 is why PwC Italy hired me to help train their next generation of managers. 

In your experience, what are the reasons why leaders struggle to delegate? Any tips you’d like to share with the community?

Stay curious! 🙌

-gs

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If you're interested in exploring effective delegation strategies and how they can benefit your organisation, I'd love to connect. 

Feel free to email me at info@giuseppestigliano.com to discuss potential synergies.

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For further reading on this topic, I suggest checking out a recent article by Shanna Hocking, which I found extremely helpful while preparing for my speech.

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