I’m not delegating because I don’t want to be “annoying.”

I’m about to go on parental leave.

My todo lists are cleared, expectations for the team are set, and “baby watch” is officially here. My wife and I are anxiously awaiting our second kid and the impending sleepless, awe inspiring, loving, all-in weeks that come with having a little one will be here soon.

No matter how excited I am, turning off work brain for several weeks is really hard for me. 

As I go through the outstanding projects I’ll be leaving behind I’m struck by the freeing power of assigning tasks I’d normally do with no guilt. Most people want me to get away, and are encouraging me to take this important family time. This little nudge of encouragement has helped me realize how many things I currently do that I’m not the best person for.

There is a sense I can’t shake that if I hold something close it means I care about it more. And if I assign something to someone else it’s going to be annoying.

I would estimate about half of my work would be done better by someone else that has the bandwidth, but I do it myself because I’m not sure how to hand it off and don’t want to be a bother.

What I’ve been reminded of over the the last few weeks is that assigning things that are important to you is not annoying, it shows you trust them. It shows you are self aware enough to get out of the way, and that you want to see your team succeed.

The work we do is constantly in flux. New challenges are constantly being introduced and legacy accountabilities and todos need to regularly be reallocated to the right person. It can feel easier to knock something out that will take two minutes vs. training someone else on it, but the right thing to do for you and your team’s sake is to hand things off.

Assigning todos that you are capable of doing yourself isn’t annoying, it shows you care. It shows you care about the organization’s success and the development of your reports. 

Parental leave is a huge benefit for the person taking it. It can also be helpful for the organization as they act as a forcing function to get the right things on the right persons plate.

Once you’ve set yourself up for an extended time away from work by creating a plan for your team to operate successfully while you’re gone, you’ll naturally only take the right things back when you return.

Don’t worry, you don’t have to have a kid or take a sabbatical to hit reset on your recurring tasks. You just need to take the time to honestly go through your week to make sure you’re doing the right things, and then get more comfortable delegating even if you feel like you’re being a annoying.

Because what you’re really doing is showing you care.