Marcus Straub
As a business owner, you face two options: You can create a job for yourself or truly lead your company. There’s a distinct difference.
In the first scenario, you’re doing daily tasks that could easily be handled by other managers or team members — tasks that take away your precious time to be the visionary, innovator and leader of your business.
If this is your reality, what it’s costing you, your team and customers? Probably more 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. After all, personal freedom is likely one of the reasons you started a business in the first place.
Your team doesn’t have a powerful example to follow — someone who’ll lead with clarity in the direction of greater happiness and success — because you’re too busy fighting fires. Your customers aren’t receiving the very best you and your team have to offer because of inefficiencies and ineffectiveness.
All of this can be overcome, though, through effective delegation. Delegation is the art of realizing 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 and accept these facts and that members of your team are capable and willing of doing more, you can begin to let go of tasks and projects consuming your time and truly lead.
The bottom line is your company won’t live up to its potential until you, as leader, empower yourself and your team through delegation.
The art of delegation frequently escapes business owners and managers. This leads to the unpleasant experiences of stress and feeling overwhelmed and takes the fun out of owning and running a business. The 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 they aren’t you. But this need not be 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.
Business owners and managers also remain concerned those to whom they delegate won’t complete the tasks or projects correctly. This can be overcome through the development of effective communication and listening across your entire team. When the person delegating tasks conveys clearly and specifically what they need done, the person undertaking the task or project truly listens and this understanding is confirmed by both parties, effective delegation becomes the norm.
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 take 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, shorten your learning curve and get you and your team on the path of effective high-level delegation. You’ll enjoy superior results and a greater return on investment sooner than trying to tackle this often challenging situation alone.
Once you begin delegating, you’ll quickly see and feel the benefits. Less stress for 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 that make them more valuable contributors to the smooth and efficient operation of your business.
Take a crucial step toward greater happiness and success in business by learning to let go, delegate effectively and empower everyone to do more and be more.
As you become a more effective delegator, the positive results will become 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.
