{"id":1710,"date":"2014-02-13T18:15:34","date_gmt":"2014-02-13T17:15:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.iese.edu\/eticaempresarial\/?p=1710"},"modified":"2014-02-14T11:43:53","modified_gmt":"2014-02-14T10:43:53","slug":"the-fear-of-delegating-a-question-of-moral-competences","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.iese.edu\/eticaempresarial\/en\/2014\/02\/13\/the-fear-of-delegating-a-question-of-moral-competences\/","title":{"rendered":"The fear of delegating: a question of moral competences?"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Delegation\"Naomi Shragai published months ago an interesting article in the Financial Times<\/i> (July 1, 2013)<\/a>, from which I gather some ideas and add ethical comments about the fear of delegating<\/strong>. She begins by telling a short story<\/b>: A young executive founded a company which prospered and now seems to be at the height of his success. But instead of enjoying his achievements, he is stressed and overwhelmed by his responsibilities. His problem is that he doesn\u2019t delegate<\/strong>. Although he envies those managers who are able to delegate, he feels unable to do so, believing that the company is like an extension of himself and his personality. He never wants to delegate for fear of losing his clients<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

I don\u2019t think the story is anything exceptional. Although many executives agree that delegation is crucial to success, many manage a multitude of details <\/span><\/a>\u00a0so as not to lose control over them. The consequences<\/b> of not delegating<\/strong> go beyond possible stress. Collaborators may feel undermined<\/b> or undervalued<\/b>, they may lose motivation<\/b> for their work and the spirit of initiative, and may be less innovative<\/b>.<\/p>\n

\"1\"The question is whether delegating can be learned at a seminar or in a self-help manual, or whether is it something deeper that affects the character<\/strong>. Surely some techniques can be presented and, especially, good practices demonstrated, but the author of the article cited is inclined to investigate the roots of the problem. Basing herself on her psychotherapeutic practice, she presents some phrases common of managers who do not know how to delegate, like the following<\/strong>:<\/p>\n