There is a common obstacle where we see business owners and leaders struggle—delegating. When you have been the reason, or one of the big reasons, why the company has succeeded and grown, it’s hard to pass tasks on to someone else. It’s easy to get caught up in thinking that if things are going to be done right, you need to do them yourself. But that’s entirely not true. In fact, the exact opposite is true; if you want to grow and scale your business, you must learn how to delegate.
You don’t always have to be the one solving the problem
One of our clients recently shared the perfect example. She owed a proposal to a client on a project that she wasn’t 100% sure where to start. She realized that she had a friend who worked for another company that did the type of work her client was looking for. So, she called them and hired them to do the project. It ended up being more cost-effective for her to outsource the work like this than to do it in-house.
For you to help scale the business, you need to be able to become a forward thinker. You need the time and space to be anticipating changes that are coming and view the big picture of the company. It’s almost impossible to do that well when you are caught in the day-to-day tasks every single day. In order to make time for big-picture thinking and oversight, you need to find tasks you can delegate to others.
Who you can delegate tasks to
If you are a solopreneur or small business, you may be struggling to figure out how to delegate tasks. There are several different ways that you can go about this including:
- Employees – You can assign tasks to current employees or hire a new one
- Freelancers – You might be able to work with a freelance contractor instead of hiring an employee
- Businesses – You can find a company to outsource a specific task or project to
- Software – You can find software to automate different parts of your processes
The right person or company to delegate to will vary based on the task and your specific business. However, it’s important to consider all your options so you can make the best decision.
Common obstacles in delegating
You may be struggling to find the right way to delegate a task for several reasons. Some of the common delegation obstacles in business include:
- Lack of trust – You may struggle to turn tasks over because you don’t believe that your employees are capable of handling them correctly.
- Wanting to hold the power – In order to properly delegate a task, you have to delegate the power that goes with the task. Some leaders struggle to let go of control in this way.
- Fear of being shown up – It’s a common struggle for leaders to worry that someone else will do a better job than them.
- Not knowing how – It can feel tricky to know where to start when you’ve never delegated a task before.
Releasing control can be difficult, but that doesn’t mean it’s the wrong thing to do. Learning how to overcome the obstacles to delegation may be just the thing you need to start scaling your business.
Make a plan and start small
If you’re just starting out with delegating tasks, start small. Choose a simple task to entrust someone with before handing over a large project. This will allow you to build trust with that person or company little by little. Make sure you clearly communicate the details they will need to complete the task. It’s also important to delegate the resources and decisions making abilities that go along with the task. Remember, your goal is to set them up for success so it will be a win-win situation.
If you want to learn more about how to overcome the challenges of scaling your business, we invite you to explore how working with a SPEARity coach can help. Contact us today to learn more.
