Learning to Delegate
11 December 2009
Read by 1520 persons
Some small business owners pride themselves on doing everything for their business themselves. But this is not always a good business practice. In fact, you should delegate as much work as possible if you want to thrive. If you don't, chances are you will always be short of time, overwhelmed with responsibilities, and your business won't move forward.
There are three main reasons why small business leaders say they can't delegate. Some common excuses are listed below. Read on to see why they don't hold up. Then, use a worksheet like the one described below to help you determine which responsibilities you can delegate.
Money
"I can't afford to pay someone to do this for me."
Avoiding delegation because of the financial investment is a short-sighted view. Yes, you will have to pay someone to do something you can do yourself. But, if you are a consultant who charges $100 an hour, should you spend your time stuffing envelopes? Use the time you free up by delegating to find new clients. This way, you will continue to make money on the tasks you outsource and you will also make money on the new work.
Time
"It takes too long to train someone. I can do it faster myself."
Not having time to train someone is often an excuse for something else, such as being afraid of losing control. If this is your reasoning, list all your tasks and how long it would take to teach someone to take care of them for you. Then choose one or two tasks that are the easiest to delegate and start there. This will help you get used to letting go of routine responsibilities.
Quality
"No one can do this as well as I can."
This is the oldest excuse of all and it's also probably true. But that's not a reason to avoid delegating. A person you hire may not do something as well as you. But think about the work they will be able to do for you once trained. If you come to the conclusion that you are the only one who can perfectly accomplish certain tasks, you have two choices: keep them for yourself and delegate other tasks, or accept that the work will be good instead of perfect. Often, very good work is enough.
Worksheet for delegating
Use a worksheet to determine how you spend your time. Use it over a week or two to determine how long each task (important or elementary) takes you. You may find that you spend a lot of time on tasks that can be easily delegated.
Your worksheet should have three columns:
Taches / Activity Time spent Delegation project
Use the Delegation Project column to record your ideas on the steps needed to delegate a task. Include a list of possible candidates.
Use it over a week or two to determine how long each task (important or elementary) takes you. You may find that you spend a lot of time on tasks that can be easily delegated.
Posted May 5, 2008
westafrica.smetoolkit.org
There are three main reasons why small business leaders say they can't delegate. Some common excuses are listed below. Read on to see why they don't hold up. Then, use a worksheet like the one described below to help you determine which responsibilities you can delegate.
Money
"I can't afford to pay someone to do this for me."
Avoiding delegation because of the financial investment is a short-sighted view. Yes, you will have to pay someone to do something you can do yourself. But, if you are a consultant who charges $100 an hour, should you spend your time stuffing envelopes? Use the time you free up by delegating to find new clients. This way, you will continue to make money on the tasks you outsource and you will also make money on the new work.
Time
"It takes too long to train someone. I can do it faster myself."
Not having time to train someone is often an excuse for something else, such as being afraid of losing control. If this is your reasoning, list all your tasks and how long it would take to teach someone to take care of them for you. Then choose one or two tasks that are the easiest to delegate and start there. This will help you get used to letting go of routine responsibilities.
Quality
"No one can do this as well as I can."
This is the oldest excuse of all and it's also probably true. But that's not a reason to avoid delegating. A person you hire may not do something as well as you. But think about the work they will be able to do for you once trained. If you come to the conclusion that you are the only one who can perfectly accomplish certain tasks, you have two choices: keep them for yourself and delegate other tasks, or accept that the work will be good instead of perfect. Often, very good work is enough.
Worksheet for delegating
Use a worksheet to determine how you spend your time. Use it over a week or two to determine how long each task (important or elementary) takes you. You may find that you spend a lot of time on tasks that can be easily delegated.
Your worksheet should have three columns:
Taches / Activity Time spent Delegation project
Use the Delegation Project column to record your ideas on the steps needed to delegate a task. Include a list of possible candidates.
Use it over a week or two to determine how long each task (important or elementary) takes you. You may find that you spend a lot of time on tasks that can be easily delegated.
Posted May 5, 2008
westafrica.smetoolkit.org
