Running a business is not easy and that’s the truth. It isn’t about how much you can do all by yourself; it’s about knowing what you can do best and when to delegate tasks.
There are tasks you will often find hard to accomplish even with some of the best tasks tracking tools at your disposal. However, you don’t just leave them, you can delegate those tasks instead.
All you need is to focus on what you can do best, whilst delegating the tasks you don’t enjoy so much, or that you don’t have the skills for, to people who can do a better job.
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Although it can be hard to delegate, letting go of certain elements of your work can make your business run more smoothly and more effectively, bringing in better sales and more profits.
So, how do you delegate tasks and get things done in the nick of time? Here is how to get started when you want to delegate.
#1]. Be Patient
It’s possible that the people you are delegating a task to have never done such a thing before. Although you are sure of their capabilities, they may be nervous, or unsure, and they don’t want to make a mistake.
For this reason, it is a good idea to help them the first time to ensure that they definitely know how to do the job to meet your expectations. This will, of course, mean that the task takes a lot longer than it might normally do.
Also, you won’t be able to get on with anything else while you are teaching and overseeing, but it will be worth it. You can go and do something else if you can be sure that the person you are delegating a task to can do the work.
This means you won’t have to worry about them and their success at the task. If you simply hand someone a new job to do without checking that they know what to do, it could go wrong. Also, it could cost you even more time and possibly money at a later date.
#2]. Don’t Assume
As mentioned above, it’s never a good idea to assume that someone knows what to do simply because you have asked them to do it. However, it’s equally never a good idea to assume that those you want to carry out the task to know how you want it done, or what the deadline might be.
A memo can get lost, an email might be unread, instructions might be misunderstood. Using project management software is a great idea as you can include all the instructions you want for the person you are delegating to. The software also lets you set a deadline and perhaps milestones to reach as you go along as well.
Also, you can delegate a number of different tasks to various people in one go by using this kind of software. This will surely help free up your time and let everyone know what is expected of them.
#3]. Don’t Overdo It
A business takes a lot of work to run successfully, but over-delegating is a bad idea. If you feel overwhelmed by the amount of work it seems you need to do, imagine how your staff would feel if you kept handing them tasks to complete.
If they are over-loaded then the work will be done to a poor standard, or will come in behind schedule, or might not be done at all. Delegating is not the same as shifting everything you need to do onto someone else, giving you nothing at all to do to in your business.
When you delegate, you need to be sensible and pick the work that you know someone else can do better than you. Giving all your tasks away won’t solve the problem, it will simply pass it on to someone else and nothing will ever really get done.
#4]. Choose The Right People
It is essential that you choose the right people to help you when you are delegating important tasks. The person you pick must be suited to the task, and they preferably had the knowledge and experience to get it done right away.
If not then, they must be willing to listen and learn from you as to how to get it done. Try to use each team member’s own particular skills and strengths so that the jobs are done more quickly and easily, and there is less delay in general in the business.
#5]. Give A Reason
Technically you could just hand your team a list of jobs to get done and leave it at that. But if you want to get the best out of them, it’s a good idea to explain the reason behind your delegation.
Be honest about the fact that the business is growing and you have a lot of other things to do, and explain that you feel that would enjoy the task, or do it well, or do it better.
Show them how this job will help them to grow as a person, and show them that the new responsibility you are giving them is going to be an asset to them, you, and the business in general. They will be much more willing to do the job if they understand all of this.
#6]. Be Clear
It will be much more difficult to get things done if you aren’t clear and specific when delegating a task. This is why you have to be very clear so that you can accomplish more tasks within the timeframe that you set out.
Give the clearest instructions you can, and if you can include why the job needs to be done, then this will help the person you are delegating to understand how it all fits together in the overall scheme of running your business.
If you only leave vague instructions, then you shouldn’t surprised if the job isn’t done as you had wanted it to be done, or if your team member keeps coming to you with additional questions that interrupt what you are trying to do and make the task take much longer than it should.
#7]. Check-In
Leaving your staff member to just get on with the job at hand might be the easiest thing to do, but it also might not help you or them in the long term.
Checking in from time to time to measure they are happy and don’t have any questions will make the task run much more smoothly. However, it’s important not to micromanage and let them work; delegating is about letting go.
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