Entrepreneurs have a tendency to juggle every task that needs to be completed in their businesses. It doesn’t matter how little or big it is, they have to handle it personally.

Although this shows great dedication, I have learned that sticking your nose in everything work-related does not only disempower your employees, but also has a counterproductive effect on multiple areas of your business and your personal life. 

The responsibility, stress, and the constant concern for keeping the business afloat are very hard to bare. It’s not a secret that is out of your reach but is one that you might be scared to unveil and use to your advantage.

The secret is to delegate. Your own people will make your business take off like a rocket. And to take advantage of the great potential that your employees have, you need to learn to delegate power. Delegation is to assign tasks to people, empowering them, while remaining accountable for the results. 

Now, this is not as simple as it seems. Many entrepreneurs fail to be as successful as the role models that they admire because of these three common obstacles: they don’t know how to apply delegative leadership. Delegating work seems not possible due to a lack of people, or they see delegation as a weakness. 

If the truth be told, you won’t be able to scale up and grow your business all by yourself. As an entrepreneur, I learned that valuable lesson the tough way. Took me 6 months to realize I needed a team to back me up.

Although I felt I could accomplish every task better than nobody I could hire, I was burned out. I’m a perfectionist and a bit of a micromanager, so I struggled at first with considering delegation as a viable solution to improve my business.

But delegation proved to be the best business choice I could have made, especially given my circumstances. I went from thinking that 24 hours were not enough to having plenty of time to dedicate to my business and to myself.

Have you ever think in all the resources you invest into work, and how little of its results you ever get to enjoy? To encourage you to achieve your goals using the power of delegation, I will show you the benefits of delegating work and easy tips to do it.

THE BENEFITS OF DELEGATION

You have already put all your effort into your business and you have accomplished great things. Now imagine how much more can be accomplished if you AND your employees endeavour to success together.

Collective work achieves more because it directs all the efforts towards the completion of one objective. By delegating tasks, you have more hands and brains working on separate areas of a project. 

One of the reasons why I love delegating is that I get more done in less time. Once one task is complete, you can move on to the next one and have more time. You and I both know that some extra time is always necessary. Delegation will allow you to get a better grip on your schedule and most importantly focus more on what really matters to your business.

Now, I know you might be afraid your employees may fail on you, but delegating power is not about abandoning your responsibilities: is about sharing some of them and monitoring them from the beginning to the end. It’s up to you to decide who you will entrust with what. That’s delegation in leadership. It encourages you to know your employees better.

You can strive for better results when delegating tasks. By showing your people you trust them and by letting them all contribute with something, they build self-confidence. They learn to be more proactive because they aren’t afraid to take decisions, and they rely on their co-workers.

Collective success boosts employee morale, and collective failure is easier to process because your people have social support. 

You may be overlooking a hidden gem in your team just because you don’t challenge them to be greater. Delegation of authority allows your employees to show their worth and grow as professionals. Delegation and empowerment are strictly related, polishing your people’s talent and retaining valuable employees who aim to success, just as you do.

TIPS TO DELEGATE

Do you know your employees well enough? The first step is to choose the right people to complete the right tasks. Learning their strengths and weaknesses will allow you to make accurate matches. Do you know what tasks need you to complete them? You can revalue your own worth by recognizing what’s your fundamental role in your business. 

Prioritize. Not every task demands immediate attention. You have to categorize what’s urgent, important, and what’s a minor task. Just as important is to be mentally ready to cede control. Instead of monopolizing it, empower your people and supervise them. You are still the boss, they still listen to you and respect you. You have a major opportunity to gain your employees’ loyalty by leading them.

If you have something nice to say, say it. Communicate to your employees why you have chosen them to complete a particular task. Let them know they are important for your business and that you are aware of their hard work. They will reward you by meeting your expectations and even exceeding them.

The process of delegation should start with little. See how you handle the little tasks first before giving them bigger challenges. They will learn how to deal with more and more responsibility without being overwhelmed by it. Your employees will appreciate being be pushed, on a steady pace, to accomplish greater goals.

Delegation and supervision need you to empower your employees and offer them feedback. Communicate the things they have done well and should continue doing, as well as the ones they have done unsatisfactorily. Don’t stop there, offer them solutions and alternatives to improve and make up for their mistakes, so they can fix their current work or do it flawlessly next time.

Expect mistakes, people around you are only human, just like you. The first times you start delegating, you will not do it perfectly. Trial and error will teach you how to be a better leader, as well as to learn to recognize what employees you should keep and train.

A crucial part of delegation is to choose the right people to complete a task. Some employees will prove to be relevant to your business and worth of you to invest in their training, while others will prove you should let them go.

Delegation of authority is the secret weapon of all successful leaders. This approach will not only save you time to focus on the tasks that need your exclusive attention and revalue your role in the company, but benefit you and take your business to the next level.