Delegation is a form of leverage. A leverage of labour, time and expertise of others. This is a repeated mantra of many leaders and the constant emphasis on getting the best people you can.
Recently I realised that there is at least one area which modern-day technology has changed the role of delegation. The domain is communication – a combination of marketing, branding, PR etc.
In the past, before the advent of the internet, it is difficult to get your word out to the masses unless you advertise on the newspapers or get onto TV or radio shows. Otherwise, word of mouth and referrals will take a long time to build a business.
Today, there are many online channels such as Google search engine, YouTube videos, Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and other social media, Emails and more to let your message out and be findable. The internet has given leaders a free megaphone to broadcast and communicate. This is a leverage by itself as you can do one to many without spending more time. Moreover you can maintain your voice and consistency in your messages without the need to delegate to others.
In fact, it is important that the leaders communicate directly to their intended customers and make it a core day-to-day job function. It is no longer the job of PR or corp comms or the marketing departments. They can assist but leaders have to be the faces of their companies.