I like to refer to delegating as “The art of letting go of that which you do not thoroughly enjoy, to embrace more of who you really are and sharing this aspect of yourself abundantly”. Sounds great right? At the same time, you may wonder how to do this when you have so many balls in the air, you can’t remember the last time you actually took a lunch break.
The key here is to start small. Many of us have the all or nothing mentality in many realms of our life. This is why New Year’s Resolutions don’t work (more on that later).
Why delegate? Because there is no way on this planet you will be able to run a successful business and enjoy life while you’re trying to accomplish everything by yourself. Think about it. Do you know anyone who is playing big that is doing it all by him/herself? I guarantee you Donald Trump and Oprah have teams to make sure everything is accomplished, and they don’t go bonkers in the process.
Delegating things like filing and bookkeeping frees up your time to do more money making activities (during work hours only). Think about how much you make an hour and how much you could be paying someone to free up your time from administrative work and other tasks you do not need to be doing. If you charge $200 an hour, and pay someone $30 an hour, to free up more time that you can make $200 an hour….. this should be a no-brainer!
So why doesn’t everyone delegate?
Most entrepreneurs suffer from a condition known as “controlfreakidous”. I know because I have it too. Hey, my business is my baby. Like giving birth and caring for your child – you’re not going to just trust your baby with anyone. It must be a very special person whom you can trust – right?
We rationalize (rational lies): why take the time to train someone when I can just do it myself in less time. Yes, it will take time to train the new person. And it’s worth it because this frees up your time to do other money making activities and fun things.
As business owners, we find it difficult to give up control. And even when we do, we take it right back after a short time (funny creatures, aren’t we). Here’s an exercise to help you see if you should delegate and what to start with:
How much you make an hour __________
Would you pay a file clerk this much?
You are now.
And, this busy work is keeping you from higher paying jobs.
Keep track of how you spend your time – How much time is spent filing, bookkeeping, updating your website, creating new brochures, chasing payments, setting appointments (personal and business), ordering new cards, lining up meeting spaces, cleaning your office, running things to the post office, etc.
Hire your children, a neighbor, a retired friend (retirees love to help).
Start small, with one task such as cleaning your office space or running errands like going to the post office.
Pay only for the time worked and set a budget. When I started, I had a very tight budget. I could only afford five hours a month. So, that’s what I did. That five hours a month allowed me to be more focused on creating better services for my clients and money making activities.
Train this new little helper elf. Let her know exactly what is expected and when the job needs to be completed by. Letting her know the due date and time is very important, otherwise it just lingers and you’re frustrated. This is a big mistake a lot of business owners make. Once they’re trained, don’t micro-manage. Give them space to do the task and trust them. You want to gain their respect. Treat them as an equal and important part of the business, not a servant.
Action Steps: Identify one thing to delegate this week, and delegate it.
Repeat this process next week or next month (when you feel comfortable). This is an easy way to learn how to let go of control so you get more accomplished.
Have fun and let me know how you do. Did you find this article helpful?
Please write your comments below – What is your favorite nugget you got from this, today? What are you most excited about implementing from this “Yes I Can With A Plan! Bright Ideas” edition?
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