Blog — Linda Ford, Ph.D.

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Delegation - An Inside Job

My executive coaching clients often struggle with delegation. Sometimes they find that they hand things off but then they bounce back; sometimes they just don’t feel like their staff is up to what is needed. They may have learned a ton of “tools and techniques” still nothing shifts. So what’s up with that?

Piggies Under the Table

Early in my career, I was reaching for bigger impact in my work, but something held me back. You know, those inner voices that say “You can’t do that” or “It’s too risky” or whatever. My friend Pat began to refer to those voices as the “piggies under the table.” I loved having a playful way to acknowledge these voices and so it stuck. We all have “piggies” in one form or another. They shape our lives and our leadership.

What are you a commitment to?

Let’s say I feel it’s important to my leadership that I listen more fully to my team members, giving them my full attention. OK, that’s reasonable. But am I the self that can deliver on that commitment? If I were, I probably would have done it already. Habits like how we communicate are embedded in us at all levels – they live in our bodies, our hearts, our emotions and our thoughts.