Every business leader is told at one point or another that they need to delegate. Thatโs easy to say, but giving up control to someone else is hard. Is it time to hand over the reins? Well, one way to know is when you get a call from an investor to talk about your Q4 growth strategy and launch into a passionate discussion about how you perfected your newsletterโs line spacing. Then thereโs an awkward pause. Next, the investor slowly frowns, looks down, takes off his glasses, and says, โYou know you can hire people for that, right?โ
The Wake Up Call
For most entrepreneursย and business owners, the turning point where you realize you need to start delegating wonโt be as obvious as the storyย above. Still, there typically comes a breaking point when youโre just not able to do it all yourself. All too often, founders experience burnoutย or make a critical mistake that leads to regrets. โIf only I had hired somebody sooner,โ they say. This article may be your wake up call to avoid these mistakes. Read on to find out why we struggle with delegation, how to do it right, and the common pitfalls to watch out for.
Why Itโs So Hard To Hand Over Control
If weโre honest, most business owners are control freaks. Weโve worked so hard to build something ourselves that the thought of handing over control is something we fear. Every detail of our business feels like our babyโa baby weโve stayed up late with, solved countless problems for, and watched grow from an idea into a reality. So when someone suggests we let someone else handle our website development, or customers service, or bookkeeping, our first instinct is, โno way, this is mine.โ
There are other factors that make leaders struggle with delegation. For instance, new people will need to learn your own unique processes and strategies. This will require training and extra time that many leaders donโt think they have. Some leaders fear hiring others will make them dispensable. However, in most cases, these concerns simply arenโt justified. While weโre busy manually updating spreadsheets that could be automated or writing every single social media caption ourselves, bigger opportunities are passing us by. Eventually, we have to face the truth: being a control freak might have helped us start our business, but itโs now standing in the way of scaling it.
The Key Principles of Effective Delegation
Successful delegation isnโt just assigning tasksโitโs about creating a process that empowers your team while ensuring quality. Hereโs what you need to know:
- Start Small, Then Scale: Begin with low-risk tasks that are time-consuming but straightforward. That social media calendar youโve been obsessing over? Perfect candidate. Once you build confidence, gradually delegate higher stakes responsibilities.
- Document, Document, Document: One of the most time-consuming steps of bringing in new people is training them, but it doesnโt have to be. Before handing over any task, write out the specific steps you take when you do it yourself. If the task is on a computer, simply screen record you performing the task. Give these recordings to your new hireand you can ensure they get you what you need on day one.
- Set Clear Success Metrics: Instead of vague instructions like โmake it good,โ define specific outcomes: โSchedule 3 posts daily, respond to comments within 2 hours, maintain our brand voice guidelines.โ This clarity prevents constant back-and-forth.
- Create Checkpoints, But Donโt Micromanage: Nobody likes to feel like their every move is being watched, so donโt do that to your new employee. Instead, schedule regular check-ins where you review their work, provide feedback, and adjust course if needed. Over time, you can reduce the number and frequency of these checkpoints as your trust increases.
- Give Authority With Responsiblity: When you delegate a task, include the authority to make relevant decisions. Nothing kills initiative faster than needing approval for every small choice.
The Biggest Delegation Mistakes To Avoid
First-time delegation is a minefield of potential mistakes. Donโt fall into the โdump-and-runโ approach where you leave complex projects on desks with zero guidance and then become frustrated when when things go wrong. Watch out for the โboomerang effectโ tooโthat irresistible urge to snatch tasks back at the first sign of trouble, effectively teaching your team that trying is pointless because youโll just takeover anyway. Another one is the โgarbage dumpโ strategy, where you only give upo the tasks you hate, turning your talented employee or contractor into a human filing cabinet for your lest favorite work. The key is finding middle ground: provide clear guidance without hovering, support without smothering, and a healthy mix of both challenging and routine tasks.
A Crucial Leadership Skill
Delegation isnโt just a time management strategyโitโs a fundamental leadership skill that determines whether your business will stay small or scale successfully. While letting go of control can feel uncomfortable at first, remember that every successful business leader has to make this transition. Start small, document your processes, set clear expectations, and resist the urge to micromanage. Yes, someone else might handle tasks differently than you would, but thatโs not just okayโitโs often better.
The sooner you embrace delegation, the sooner you can focus on what really matters: growing your business and pursuing new opportunities.
