One of the best things about taking a managerial position is relinquishing the tasks you didn’t like in your previous role: compiling that regular report, meeting with that awkward team, picking up your own dry cleaning – all gone.
However, it also means you have to give up the tasks you do like – and arguably the ones in which you excelled and that put you in the top role to begin with. This is much less inviting.
But being able to delegate tasks is a key part of being an effective leader. It is management 101, as it is only by letting others take on these jobs will you have the time and headspace to think about the bigger picture and grow into your new role.
Why, then, is it so difficult for many in the (re)insurance sector to do this?
For Paul Clark, managing director and partner, Boston Consulting Group, much of this comes down to a lack of understanding that there are different ways of leading – and that different leadership styles are appropriate in different circumstances.
“In