THE REPUBLICAN WOMAN’S LEADERSHIP SURVIVAL GUIDE
Delegation: A Key to Winning Elections in 2008!

Do you find it difficult to delegate tasks to other members of your organization? If so, you are not alone! Let's face it, no matter how talented, experienced and capable our members are, delegation can feel very risky---especially when we’re facing consequences such as Hillary Clinton in the White House…again!!! How’s that for pressure to perform?!!

Nevertheless, we must understand that effective delegation throughout our Republican organizations will undoubtedly be a key to winning elections in 2008!

Why is it Important to Delegate Well?

The Republican Multiplication Factor. The multiplication factor in delegation is the ability of a single leader to indefinitely assume increasing loads of responsibility by delegating. Imagine the impact of the multiplication factor during an election year!

Freedom & Perspective. Effective delegation gives leaders the time needed to do work that is uniquely "leadership" work, such as planning! Effective delegators create time and freedom to think about the present and future of the organization.

The Development of New Republican Leaders. All of us can find a number of tasks that can be effectively delegated, which will free up time to support new members and leaders. Delegation itself develops members’ ability to assume more responsibility later. Think growth and longevity! Also, remember that active members in our organization are more likely to vote—so technically, by delegating you are getting more women involved and thus more voters to the polls, too!

High Republican Motivation and Morale. Studies show that individuals who are assigned responsibility, including responsibility for making just as many decisions as they can make effectively, tend to feel a part of their organizations. A degree of self-esteem usually results from the assumption of responsibility.

Why Don’t Republicans Delegate?

For the same reason that Democrats don’t delegate. This is a bi-partisan issue – all leaders struggle with this at times. Here’s an ugly laundry list of reasons: Lack of knowledge and understanding about delegating, low value placed on delegation, insecurity and risk avoidance, low awareness of volunteers’ abilities and motivation, avoiding the appearance of laziness, fear of losing a prized role, unrealistic feelings of superiority, the "I Can do it Better and Faster" Fallacy, preference for only hands on work, excessive desire to please, perfectionism, pride in long hours and hard work, and the list goes on and on!

Five Steps of Effective Delegation.

Effective delegation requires the following five steps: (1) Select a volunteer whose talent matches the task (and who has the time and inclination to serve on a particular committee or to complete a specific task); (2) clearly assign tasks/objectives to be achieved; (3) provide necessary resources; (4) the volunteer assumes responsibility; (5) respectfully hold volunteers accountable for results through encouragement, goals and deadlines. Without these five steps, effective delegation hasn’t occurred!

So How Much Should Republicans Delegate?

The challenge is to delegate as much as possible, not as little as possible. If you want to achieve only small objectives, you may be able to perform all of the required tasks yourself. If you want to achieve moderately ambitious goals, first delegate those tasks in which your skills are limited. If you want to make an outlasting impact this election season (1) delegate to passionate volunteers whose strengths match the task and who want the job, (2) give members room to be creative in their own roles, (3) assign members as much responsibility as they can and want to assume, and (4) give members any and all information and resources that contributes to their success! Their success is our success!

No job is below the leader. Leaders are servants first. However, this campaign season, when you are busy logging your endless volunteer hours, remember that it’s the leader’s primary job (1) to make sure no one in the organization loses sight of the organization’s mission and goals; (2) to inspire commitment to the organization’s values and vision; (3) to track progress with the grand strategies of the organization, and (4) to build teamwork and trust which are at the heart of great organizations ~ and winning teams!

[Excerpt adapted for the Texas Federation of Republican Women (TFRW) by contributing TFRW member, Rachel Woods, J.D., President & CEO of Leadership Trek Corporation (LTrek®) from LTrek’s Effective Leadership, 7th Ed. by Dr. J. Clifton Williams, Ph.D. Copyright © Leadership Trek Corporation (LTrek), 2007. All Rights Reserved.]