How to Make Delegation Easier For Highly Involved Business Owners

As a business owner, you know that delegation will help your business. You’ve read the articles; you’ve heard the advice—especially if you’ve been following us!

But, let’s be honest. Sometimes delegation is just not that easy! We get it. For many small business owners, your business is your life’s work. It’s all you think about. It’s your baby. That means adding someone else into the mix or being more trusting of your existing team can be challenging. The phrase “if you want it done right, do it yourself” is popular for a reason.

The only problem with this philosophy is that you’re missing out on all the benefits that delegation can bring your business including, most importantly, the ability to grow faster. Today, we’re here to help you figure out how to delegate in a way that works for you—even when it’s difficult.

As A Reminder, This Is Why You Should Delegate

To start out, we need to review all the reasons delegation will help your business. First of all, it will save you time. Instead of focusing on the day-to-day activities of your business that can take over your schedule, delegating those tasks will afford you the time to prioritize big-picture thinking. This means analyzing your business to find areas of improvement or avenues for growth. You will be able to spend more time on marketing, public relations, or finding partners that can help elevate your business.

Think of all those tasks that you should be doing with your business, but don’t have time for. That’s what you’ll be able to focus on once you start to delegate.

Delegation is also a form of self-care. You set yourself up for success by giving your peace and mental health the attention it deserves. You’ll save yourself the exhaustion of always doing everything yourself. By avoiding getting burnt out, you are allowing yourself the mental endurance that’s needed to nurture a company and help it grow.

Why Highly Involved Business Owners Struggle to Delegate

There are plenty of reasons that small business owners can be wary of delegation. You may simply want to ensure that your tasks are getting done the correct way. If you can’t trust your team—or don’t have one yet—breaking out of your comfort zone is tricky. You may also feel that you know your business best, so you’re most capable of performing all the tasks necessary for your business to operate. Finally, you may feel some expectation or obligation to continue filling the role you always have. For example, if you built your business as a service provider interacting directly with your clients or customers, taking a step back from that customer-facing role could disappoint those who have supported your business from the beginning.

In addition to these barriers to delegation, there are some risks associated with trusting other people to handle the work you’ve always overseen. Another team member might not put as much effort into getting a project done well, might not meet your standards with their work, or may not work with expediency.

These rationale to avoid delegation are valid. Your concerns are appropriate when you want the best for your business. However, strategies exist to work around these barriers and risks so you can take advantage of all the wonderful benefits that come along with delegation.

How to Make Delegation Work For You

You’re not going to delegate if you don’t find it comfortable. The first step in finding comfort would be to find the right team. Have a team on your side that cares as much about your business as you. It might take some time to find people who fit with you on a personality level, but it’s worth putting in the effort to find the right people that you can trust. It is also worth putting effort into training your team. Prepare them to take responsibility for the tasks you want to delegate. Don’t assume they’ll know your preferences or why your business runs the way it does. If your team is prepared, you’ll know your clients or customers will be in good hands.

You may have tried delegating tasks, but find that you often jump in when you’ve already assigned tasks to members of your team. This might happen because a task wasn’t done as quickly as you would like, you feel guilty assigning out work, or you simply gravitate to doing the work because you had been doing it for so long yourself. A solution to this would be to ask your team to step in when this happens and remind you that you’ve already delegated.

Finally, focus on strong communication. You need to make sure you’re communicating with your team clearly. Be specific with your assignments. Set expectations definitively. This will ensure you’re happy with the outcome of delegated tasks.

Sometimes, You Just Need to Let Go

At the end of the day, your ability to delegate might come down to letting go. Decide which tasks are absolute priorities for you to accomplish yourself. Don’t delegate those tasks. Consider everything else up for delegation. Drawing that line for yourself might ease the worry of how delegation could affect your business.

Some delegated tasks might not be done perfectly right every time. They might not be done exactly how you prefer, but if you set boundaries, these tasks will not impact your business dramatically. You’ll always have room for improvement with your team. It can be hard to hear, but letting go of your control over these tasks is better for your business, especially if these tasks are preventing you from focusing on growth. The upside of delegating truly outweighs any risks or negatives that come with it.

Happy Delegating!

While delegation can be challenging at first, you’ll get used to it after a while. If you put the effort into developing your team, you’ll soon be working like an oiled machine. You’ll appreciate the freedom to focus on the big picture items, and you’ll feel confident everything else is being handled in your absence.

If you are getting burnt out and feel like you could use some extra help with your business, a virtual assistant might be right for you. We can even guide you through the delegation process to make it as comfortable for you as possible. Learn more about our services here or schedule a free consultation to learn how a virtual assistant can benefit your business.