Every leader – whether in business or elsewhere – has to face up to one incontrovertible truth.
You cannot do everything yourself.
Yet delegating is a tricky business. Too many business leaders struggle to let go of time-consuming responsibilities, and it’s stopping them from truly thriving in their role.
For many, the truth is that they don’t lack the ability to delegate – in fact they might be excellent delegators in some areas.
It’s far more often about mindset. Here’s why.
The Anti-Delegation Mindset
There are some common negative beliefs that exist around delegation:
- “I don’t have the time to teach someone else how to do it.”
- “I’ve been doing this for years, it’ll be much easier to just get it done myself.”
- “It doesn’t take that long, so why would I delegate?”
- “If I give it to someone else, I’ll spend just as long checking their work and re-doing it.”
Any of those can feel like a compelling reason not to delegate. But what do they really demonstrate?
“I don’t have the time to teach someone else how to do it.”
In reality, this sentiment might reflect that you don’t have a clear process in place for how you complete this task. Which, in the longer term, could well prove problematic.
It might also flag a time management issue that is leaving you short of capacity.
Remember that by investing time in outsourcing that piece of work today you will reap the rewards in the future. Once it’s been delegated, you’ll find your capacity surge, along with your available brainpower for bigger strategic business decisions.
“I’ve been doing this for years, it’ll be much easier to just get it done myself.”
Similarly, this belief might reveal that you’re struggling to clearly articulate what you want others to do.
I have little doubt that you’ll be an established expert in this area of your business, so breaking the task back down into steps can be difficult – but it will pay dividends down the line.
“It doesn’t take that long, so why would I delegate?”
I’ll be honest, sometimes this is absolutely true. There are plenty of tasks that are so small or specialised that it really does make more sense for you to do them yourself.
But be honest: are there other times when this is a convenient excuse? Do you find that those “small tasks” pile up and eat into your day?
“If I give it to someone else, I’ll spend just as long checking their work and re-doing it.”
Now we come to the classic trap of the perfectionist.
It’s entirely natural to feel protective of your work and your reputation. If you chose to set up or run a business, it’s no surprise that you might like to do things your own way. But that same entrepreneurial spirit can also make it difficult to give up any control.
Equally, if you’re a senior executive, you’re likely to feel the pressure of perfectionism.
But it’s important to think about the costs here. If you have a team and you fail to delegate, what are they going to think? Probably: that you don’t trust them, and that you don’t have the time to develop their skills and experience.
You also risk building a business that is so utterly dependent on you that the only destination is burnout – and becoming the bottleneck holding everything back.
Ultimately, the more senior you are, the less feasible it is for you to be everywhere at once or to stay abreast of every detail. By focusing on providing clear instructions and constructive feedback, you’ll be able to build a stronger, more confident team – and ultimately avoid taking on too much.
How to Make Delegation Easier
Luckily, delegation is a skill that can be improved. Here’s how:
Calculate Your Value
What’s your hourly rate? Whether you directly charge your time to clients or not, it’s important to think about what your time is worth. Because if someone can do it for less, you should consider outsourcing it.
Start Small
Have a quick think about the 3-5 tasks you least like doing, and order them by the amount of time and effort they take.
Start off by delegating just one of those, and imagine how much lighter your workload will feel – and which items from your “when I have time” list you could work on instead.
Create Structure
It’s natural to feel a desire to reclaim control when you start delegating, and to check and recheck work. Allow yourself the emotional space to find it difficult, and build a structure that helps you avoid micromanaging.
Remember: Delegation Is About Reclaiming Your Time
Effective delegation isn’t about giving something up, it’s about making better use of your time and building a confident and effective team.
Crucially, it’s also about making sure your business or role can grow – without you becoming a bottleneck.
Whilst you might well find delegation difficult at times, remember that by setting clear boundaries and starting small you can build much stronger foundations.
If you feel like you could use some more advice on how exactly to go about delegating your work, take a look at this piece from the Harvard Business School.
Ready to talk?
If you want support in learning how to improve how you run your business or teams, I’d love to help. Together, we can overcome roadblocks, develop your leadership skills and build a more sustainable business. Let’s connect.
Contact me today for an initial conversation, and if we’re not the right fit I’m always happy to recommend someone who is.
Kind Regards,
Chris