How To Give Up Control And Delegate More Often
How to give up control - top tips for effective delegation
Are you struggling to get to the ‘real work’ of moving your business forward because you’re having to deal with monotonous and seemingly endless everyday tasks?
You’re not alone!
As a small business owner, you can’t be a specialist in everything. All the time, we meet business owners who are frustrated because they feel hampered by the reality of running their own business, and we tell them the same thing:
If you’re serious about growing your business, effective delegation is essential.
Not only does it give you more time and energy to focus on your business goals, it also helps build a strong team.
Whether you struggle to delegate because only you know how to do a job right or whether you feel like you’re not a good business owner if you don’t do it all yourself, read on, this one’s for you!
As part of our ‘how to work smarter, not harder’ series, this blog focuses on the importance of delegation and gives you some handy hints on how to go about it.
First off, let’s look at what delegation isn’t.
It isn’t micromanaging – no one likes to be told what to do every minute of every day. NO ONE.
Delegation isn’t laziness. Handing over some tasks will mean you can put more time into the things that matter.
It isn’t where you hand everything to your team and bunk off to the beach for the day.
It isn’t a sign of weak leadership. In fact, it’s the opposite! Every successful business owner delegates. We can’t stress this point enough, so we’ll put it in bold: Delegating certain tasks in your business is a strength.
So, what is delegation?
Effective delegation is where you let go of the tasks that don’t have to be done by you, the visionary of the business. Your time is precious and should be spent working on your vision.
Wikipedia defines it as “one of the core concepts of management leadership”, and it can happen at all levels, from owner and manager through to supervisors and team leaders.
Key tips for delegating effectively
Do an audit of your tasks
Put your workload under a microscope and identify which tasks can be handed over to someone else. This can be tedious, but trust us, you’ll be glad you did!
Write out every single task you’d do in a normal working week. Highlight any tasks that you can only do yourself, then highlight the tasks that are difficult to give to someone else. The remaining tasks you can outsource.
Highlight all the tasks that can only be done onsite in another colour, the leftover tasks can be performed by a virtual assistant. Very simple but visually effective!
Trust in your team
As suggested in the Wikipedia quote we used previously, delegation is one of the cornerstones of good leadership. Giving key tasks that don’t need to be done by you to your team members is crucial. If you can’t trust your people, you can’t grow your business. Hey, that’s why you chose them, right?
You can use delegation as a tool for empowering your employees, creating an enthusiastic workplace culture, and boosting productivity. When you look at it this way, it’s a no-brainer.
Give clear instructions
A good rule of thumb here is to explain what you want, not how you want it. Remember, delegation is not micromanaging! By focussing on the desired result rather than the process, you’ll show your staff that you trust their skill and expertise.
Outsource to a professional
Outsourcing tasks is fast becoming the way business is done these days, and with so many businesses that can handle things for you, why wouldn’t you? if you don’t have a team or don’t have anyone with the skill to carry out a certain task, it just makes good business sense.
Whether it’s to another person outside your business or to business automation software, outsourcing will save you time (oh, so much time!), allowing you to focus on how to grow your business.
Delegation – important takeaways
Conduct an audit of your tasks and prioritise which ones need to be done by you
Trust your team and delegate tasks to the right people
Don’t be afraid to outsource tasks when needed, there are trustworthy people that are just as capable as you out there, trust me!
We’re here to help
If you know you need to start delegating or outsourcing but don’t know where to start, get in touch with us. We’re specialists in helping businesses like yours streamline their processes, helping you work smarter – not harder!