Let’s Just Lighten Up!
It seems that most entrepreneurs and business owners just have, “Way too many things to do!” But what ever happened to delegating? Everyone has heard about the benefits of delegating, but making it a habit isn’t always easy. Like most great things in life, delegation is something to practice; the more you practice, the more confident you will be in the process.
Delegating brings so many positives to your business – for one, you will learn more about your employees when you plan them into your work schedule and delegate. Start by looking at everything you have to do over the coming weeks and decide what you can hand off. What holds most people back here is fear that certain jobs won’t be done to your satisfaction and you’ll have to redo the task. Start small and you and your employees will grow into the work that needs to be done.
Personally, I find delegation works best when I give clear directions with set time lines for completion. This practice help employees understand your vision. Train yourself and your employees to use a feedback system; this way setbacks are not surprises and successes can be recognized quickly.
When you delegate the tasks that don’t absolutely need to be done yourself, it will free up your time to land larger clients, network with more people, or work on business development. Remember, practice builds confidence!
Entrepreneurship, Small Business | Katrina February 17, 2011
5 Comments to “Let’s Just Lighten Up!”
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By Stephanie, February 17, 2011 @ 4:19 pm
Great post, Katrina! I agree – it’s important to give clear guidelines and directions for your employees, especially when it comes to time lines for completion. By giving clear guidelines, you give your employees a firm base to start on, and they will have a greater chance of success right off the bat.
By Cynthia, February 17, 2011 @ 6:39 pm
Delegation is also an effective way to build your employees’ confidence. When they are given positive feedback for a job well-done, their confidence will grow and eventually bloom so that less and less direction from you will be needed.
It is definitely a win-win situation which builds productive teamwork, leadership skills and a higher degree of efficiency.
More business owners/companies should practice delegation.
By Susan Low, February 17, 2011 @ 9:11 pm
Starting small is important, not just to make sure things will be done right by the employee (or virtual assistant!) but also to practice the skills of delegation. It takes time to learn how to explain how you want something done in enough detail that you give the full picture of what you expect, but not so much detail that you stifle the creativity of the person you’re asking.
By Chuck Thompson, February 18, 2011 @ 8:14 am
Delegation is really something that many managers give lip service to and don’t practice well. I think the reality is that many who would otherwise be good employees leave or lose their jobs because of poor managment that often stems from a lack of delegation skills. Job satisfaction is closely linked to “relationship” (which is tied to communication) with those in superior positions. When someone says, “I really like my work and I get along well with my boss.” They may actually be saying, “My boss gives clear instructions and has helped me become an effective and efficient worker.” Katrina, your points are well placed.
By Carol Hunt, February 18, 2011 @ 5:47 pm
Good article on delegation. Being clear about tasks assigned is the key here. But also you need to trust the competency of the person to whom you delegate. You take a risk handing off jobs that the person helping out will perform and complete a task at your level of excelence – or at very least even do what they say they will do or have been asked to do. Choose carefully when delegating. At first it may need some “management”.