Delegation: The Master Productivity Tool

The art of delegation is one of the key skills any entrepreneur must master.

Richard Branson

Delegate is a verb that means to entrust a task or responsibility to another person. The act of delegation is arguably the most valuable and important tool in your productivity tool belt. It is about saving time and improving efficiency.

Yes, I know as a freelancer or entrepreneur you are most likely a one human operation. Who the heck are you going to delegate to? Well, another word you might use is outsourcing. There are tasks you could and probably should delegate to a specialist, such as an accountant or graphic designer. Yes, outsourcing or delegating to someone outside can potentially be expensive. But the sooner you get some things off your desk, the sooner you can complete your projects and expand your business.

Letting Go Isn’t Easy

Delegation is a skill that needs to be honed just like any other. Before you can develop that skill, you must first ask yourself why you struggle with letting go. Here are some of the common reasons that people can’t or won’t delegate:

1. Concerned about “dumping” their work onto others
2. Insecurity
3. Fear of losing control
4. It’s quicker to just do it themselves

These are all emotional reasons for holding on tight to everything and thinking that you are a superhero and can do it all. As much as you might like to think you are, you are not a superhero. You are a super human. You are not superhuman.

Learning To Delegate

Delegation is a skill I learned and mastered over many years as a leader with a major international company. At first, I thought I had to do it all myself. Then I realized by doing it all myself three things were happening:

1. I was not doing my best work.
2. I was burning myself out with long hours.
3. Most importantly, I was robbing my team of the chance to showcase what they were capable of.

In essence I was holding myself and my team back from meeting our potential.

I had to learn to give up control. This was a biggie because I’m something of a control freak. I also had to let go of my insecurities that someone might take my job. Well, as a leader that’s kind of the whole point. A real leader understands that their primary responsibility is to prepare the next generation of leaders.

At first it was very slow going. We had to learn to trust one another. They had to overcome their feeling that I was just dumping the work I didn’t want to do onto them, and I had to learn what everyone’s strengths were.

Also, I had to let go of the notion that it was just quicker to do it all myself. Because the time I took to train someone to do the task, was well worth it as I watched many of my former team members move on to bigger and better things within and outside of the company.

Now, as an entrepreneur myself, I’ve expanded my powers of delegation in another direction. Just because I’m a one human business doesn’t mean I have to do it all myself. That is an unrealistic expectation. There are simply things I am not an expert on (Ouch!)

Once I came to that realization, I was able to put my years of delegation experience to work and came up with a plan to decide what I needed to do myself and what I wanted to and should farm out.

Discovering What To Delegate

First, start by listing everything that goes into running your business. Once you have that list start to document everything. It’s important to have a detailed manual of systems and processes. This manual should include all the information, knowledge and processes that keep your business running. It makes it easier for someone to step in or for you to delegate certain aspects of your business. You can create your own or use this Business Process Manual template on Google Docs.

Second, keep track of your time. Doing this will help you drill down to the tasks that are time sucks. Those are the things are necessary but keep you from getting to doing the actual reason for your business. This will help you decide what to delegate.

Third, find the right people. As you are vetting specialists to take over the jobs you determine to delegate, get estimates from multiple sources. You also want to look into their experience and background. You want to make sure that the people you hire are capable and you are getting value for your money.  

Look Beyond Your Business

It’s likely you’re running your business out of your home. So, not only are you trying to build your business, you’re probably trying to manage your household, too.  So, make sure that you consider any household responsibilities that you can farm out. For example, maybe you could have a housekeeper come in once a week for a deep clean.

Once you’ve decided what to delegate and to whom, make sure that you clearly define the task and your expectations of the job. Make sure to let them know you trust them, but make sure to schedule check-ins regularly. Keep an open door, too. Let them know that you are available for any questions.

This is the hardest thing to do, once you’ve hired someone, given them clear instructions, and set up scheduled meetings to catch up, LET IT GO! Trust that you’ve made the right choice and that they will do what you need them to do for you.

Now, you are free to get back to why you became a freelancer or entrepreneur in the first place.

Leave me a comment with any questions. Also, if you want to share, I’d love to hear how your delegation plan is working for you. Wishing you much happiness in your unique journey.