Learning How to Delegate as a Business Owner

Delegation is something most business owners struggle with. In theory, we know that it’s a good move for our company. After all, think of all the projects, networking, and other work you can take on if you didn’t feel like you had to do everything!

Still, the idea of giving up control over any small part of a business can be stressful to say the least — especially if it’s something you know how to do to a T. It’s one thing to outsource bookkeeping when you aren’t a numbers person, but it’s another to delegate tasks like social media or client management when it’s something you’ve perfected over the years.

Not to mention, you’ve likely put a lot of blood, sweat, and tears into building your business, so it can be difficult to delegate tasks that could potentially impact your business or take it in a different direction.

If you’re stuck in limbo when it comes to delegation, rest assured that the end result is well worth the initial anxiety of handing over the keys. The space and freedom you gain to pursue other endeavors opens up new business opportunities and more time to spend on personal development and family time. 

With that said, here are five strategies for opening yourself up to the idea of delegation.

Start slow

Slowly but surely letting go of the reins is the key for those that are incredibly entrenched in their business (as we all are!). If you find yourself struggling to hand off big items to members of your team, think about beginning with admin tasks that take up the time you could be spending on client meetings or otherwise. These are much more manageable regardless of anyone’s skill set, and you’ll feel relieved in the long run that you’re no longer saddled with confirming appointments or creating work schedules.

“Start with small things that don’t require your personal attention,” encourages Alan Berg of Wedding Business Solutions, LLC. “Then, as you see that it’s working, give up more things. Learn to allow people to fail when taking initiative or they’ll come to you for every decision and that just eats up more of your time.”

Play to their strengths

When you hire staff, there’s a reason why we take the time to carefully review applicants. In most cases, it’s even common to ask some questions to gauge whether or not they can step in and wear different hats in the company. Now it’s time to test those you’ve hired in doing just that.

“Never delegate something to someone who is not capable of doing it,” stresses Lon Lane of Lon Lane’s Inspired Occasions. “Evaluate each employee and define their strengths and define areas of growth opportunity. Delegate tasks that are achievable, praise the employee, and discuss with them how they felt about what they did.”

Set realistic expectations

There’s a learning curve to every new responsibility, and no matter how well-seasoned an employee is, there will likely be an adjustment period as they take on new roles.

“Don’t get caught up expecting someone to do the job just as well as you,” says Anthony Lambatos of Footers Catering. “Sometimes, 80 or 90 percent of what you could do is OK because it allows you to spend time on more valuable tasks. That 10-20 percent that might be missing can either be delegated to a second person or it might not even matter in the grand scheme of things.”

Support without overwhelming

The stress of passing on the torch can be heavy, but remember to trust your team to do the job right. The best way someone can learn is with visuals, so consider putting SOPs in place for review and then walking them through the process a time or two. After that, it’s important that you empower them to feel comfortable doing the task themselves.

“The surest way to sabotage delegation is to micromanage when you do,” states Berg. “You’re trying to do a few things: take things off your plate, empower your people to take initiative, and develop a culture that promotes open dialogue and creative solutions. Don’t give someone something to do without clear results that you expect. Don’t just drop something new in someone’s lap without asking if they have what the need to accomplish it.”

Evaluate from a distance

“Have key indicators that allow you to know if the job is getting done,” shares Lambatos. “If you’re worried about execution, create a customer satisfaction metric that will make you feel comfortable that things are going well. When those metrics aren’t in line, then you can address the issue without micromanaging your people.”

If you’re considering delegation for the first time, don’t feel that you need to hand over your business overnight. Start with a few tasks that you don’t enjoy and enjoy the extra time in your schedule — you’ll be thrilled by how much more work you can get done in the process!