One of the hardest things for a business owner or leader to do is learn how to delegate well and empower their staff. How many of you do the task because you think you can do it better yourself? This is where I used to be too. I might be a little bit of a control freak. Delegation is more than task management. It is a trust-building exercise that shows you are confident in what they are doing. This is a great exercise to do whether you have staff or are a solopreneur.
Here is the simple process:
First, make a list of the tasks that you do. Start with all of them and don’t overthink it.
Second, look at the list and decide which tasks only you can do and which tasks someone else can do. Think about the tasks you enjoy doing. Also, think about the tasks your staff enjoys doing.
Now you have two lists. One that you enjoy doing, one that is a part of your core competencies. And are the activities only you can do in your business. The second list is the tasks that you don’t enjoy or someone at a different level can take care of.
For example, I don’t love creating spreadsheets but one of my staff members does.
On top of helping you work within your strengths and what you love, delegating is a way to ensure professional development for your team. As well as letting them do some of what they love.
Use this list second list to begin delegating tasks to staff or to create that job description for your first hire.
In the end, you should be working on your strengths just as your staff does. That will help move the company forward and help increase sales in the process.
Two Examples…first up, the Solopreneur
I have a client who used this process to help figure out who he needed to hire in his business first. The idea is that any hire should be making you money. There were tasks only he could do. Then some tasks were taken away from the money-making activities in the business.
With this simple process, my solopreneur client discovered the tasks he did not have to do. And what role he needed to hire first that would allow him to do more of the money-making activities.
Then, he made the hire. His revenue and profit have increased because he is focusing on the tasks that only he can do.
The Chief of Staff…Example number two
I have another client that was struggling with her new role. She moved from more of a task-oriented role to a leadership position as the Chief of Staff Role. Functioning in a lot of ways like a COO. She was having trouble moving from working in the business to being one who was helping to create strategy and policies. After we completed this exercise, and paired it down even more, she was able to gain clarity on what was holding her back from being successful in her new role. But was also able to see how she was disempowering her staff by not trusting them to get the job done.
My clients who do this exercise feel lighter and are more excited about where the business is heading because they are doing more of what fulfills them. Give it a try! You will be surprised at the outcome.
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Stephanie German is a business strategist, adjunct professor, and speaker. She holds a master’s degree in organizational leadership and loves giving back to her community in a variety of ways. When she’s not coaching clients or writing about leadership, Stephanie is usually headed to the mountains or the beach with her family, drinking savory wine, or working on the latest project with her husband. Stephanie’s greatest desires are to raise up the next generation of leaders while raising her own children to be strong, independent, and brave. She lives in Fresno, California with her husband Blake and her three spunky daughters, Cara, Kinsey, and Peyton. She is the best-selling author of So Your Boss Can’t Lead?