Marcus Straub
A crucial step in the direction of greater happiness and success in business is learning to let go and delegate effectively, empowering everyone involved to do more and be more.
As a business owner, you have two options: You can create a job for yourself or truly lead your company. There’s a distinct difference between the two choices. In the first scenario, you’re doing daily tasks that easily could be handled by your fellow management and team members — tasks that take precious time you could use to be the visionary, innovator and leader of your business.
If this is your reality, what is this costing you, your team and your clients or customers? In all likelihood, the cost is significantly higher than you realize.
When you’ve merely created a job for yourself, you have less time to be the effective leader of your company and less time for your life. Personal freedom is likely one of the reasons you started a business in the first place. Moreover, your team lacks a powerful example to follow — someone who leads with clarity in the direction of greater happiness and success — because you’re too busy fighting fires. In addition, your clients or customers don’t receive the very best you and your team have to offer because of the inefficiencies and ineffectiveness.
All of this can be overcome through the process of effective delegation. Delegation is the art of realizing three things. You can’t do it all. You don’t have to do it all. And your way of doing something isn’t always the most effective approach. Once you realize there are members of your team who are willing and capable of effectively
doing more, you can begin to let go of tasks and projects.
The bottom line is your company won’t live up to its potential until you, as leader, empower yourself and your team through the art of delegation.
The art of delegation frequently escapes business owners and managers. This leads to feeling stressed and even overwhelmed, which takes the fun out of owning and running a business. A lack of effective delegation also inhibits the growth and development of team members and, therefore, the business itself.
The No 1 objection I hear from my business clients is, “They won’t do it the way I do.” That’s correct, given that they aren’t you. But this shouldn’t present an obstacle. In fact, once I help clients get over this mental block, they come to see the tremendous power that comes with effective delegation.
Another concern of business owners and managers is those to whom they delegate won’t complete a task or project correctly. This can be overcome through the development of effective communication and listening across your entire team. When the person delegating conveys clearly and specifically what they need done, the person receiving the task or project truly listens and their understanding is confirmed by both parties, errors are dramatically reduced.
Take a step back from your daily tasks and look at your situation openly and honestly. Spend some time writing out all the tasks you handle to gain perspective of your self-created reality. This greater awareness on your part will position you to begin taking action to create a better situation for yourself and your team members.
A powerful step would be to engage the assistance of a qualified coach or consultant. Doing so will help you gain perspective and shorten your learning curve. In other words, you and your team will get on the path to effective, high-level delegation, superior results and a greater return on investment sooner.
You will see and feel the benefits rather quickly once you begin delegating. Less stress in you and your team members feels good and improves overall job satisfaction. Dramatically lower error rates improve return on investment, team members develop competencies and skills and become more invaluable in the smooth and efficient operation of your business.
As you become a more effective delegator, the positive results will be increasingly obvious. You’ll free yourself to lead, your team will grow more confident and capable and your customers will embrace the excellence of your company.
