5 Ways to Boost Your Delegating Skills
One of the biggest leaps online entrepreneurs make is going from doing everything to managing a team.
Also known as… delegating.
Or, as I like to call it, getting your time back.
Dana Malstaff, host of Boss Mom podcast, invited me onto her show to talk about this very thing. Because she knows all too well the struggles of running a business and raising a family— and the important role delegating plays in maintaining that critical balance. You can listen to the episode here.
Delegating is a hard shift for most entrepreneurs because you know how to do everything. So you can get caught up in what I call the “competence trap.” You think that because you can do everything, you should. Even after you’ve hired someone to help you.
So I’m going to be very clear about my thoughts on this:
If you’re missing out on opportunities that could help you grow your business, it’s time to take some of the things you’re doing off your plate.
Why you need to delegate
But… delegating is about more than just “getting things off your plate.” Instead, the point is to reach that synergy sweet spot —- you know… where the whole is greater than the sum of its parts — by assigning tasks according to their strengths.
Think of the very top of each team member’s skill set, then try to assign up to and including that level. And then even go beyond that by challenging your team with “stretch” assignments, or tasks that might be slightly uncomfortable, but encourage your team and your company to evolve.
For example, maybe your social media manager is creating and scheduling your social media posts. But what is the next level of tasks they can take on? Can they be building campaigns to support your new business initiatives... or researching new social media platforms… or utilizing features you just never had time to figure out?
When you delegate properly, you’re free to focus on growing your business and generating more revenue.
And every once in a while, take a step back and evaluate if you’re delegating as much as you could be. Or stretching your team and your business enough.
Are you delegating enough?
You may think that just because you’re assigning tasks to a team member, you have this whole delegating thing in the bag.
But what if you could be delegating even more? Or… delegating different kinds of tasks so you can focus on bigger picture projects for your business?
These are some of the telltale signs that you could be delegating even more.
You’re on the verge of burnout. Little decisions feel un-figureoutable, or your interest in the business you love so much is beginning to wane.
You’re missing opportunities. You keep pushing off business development opportunities so you can keep up with day-to-day ops.
You’re doing things you’re not great at. Simple tasks that a skilled person would complete quickly seem to take you for.ever.
And my favorite test of all is to ask yourself what would happen if you took a week off? Would the whole business come to a screeching halt?
5 ways to get better at delegating
If you’ve identified with any of the signs that you could be delegating more, you’re definitely not alone. Most of us have a lot to learn when it comes to delegating. Especially if it’s new to you. So, here are some ways you can get better at delegating.
Get in the zone
When my clients ask me what their first hire should be, my first question back to them is usually:
What is your Zone of Genius?
If you’re not familiar with Zone of Genius, it’s a concept that encourages you to do the work that you enjoy, are exceptionally good at, and comes easily to you. Everything else? Delegate, if possible.
By continuing to do the things you can do — because you know how to do them — but you don't really love them or aren’t particularly good at them, you’ll always be holding yourself back from leveraging your unique talents to make the most impact on your business.
Hire the right team members
When you are honest about your Zone of Genius, it’s easy to make a list of the tasks that you’re ready for someone else to take on.
And I always recommend hiring specialists, rather than generalists. For some reason, online entrepreneurs tend to think their first hire should be a VA… and then they can just dump a bunch of stuff on them.
One of the beautiful things about hiring freelancers is you can hire someone for just a few hours a week. So instead of asking one person to take on social media… and design… and writing… and project management. You can hire four highly specialized freelancers who are experts in each area.
But what if you don’t feel ready yet to hire someone? You don’t have the right systems in place? Your Google Drive is a mess?
Well, guess what… you can hire someone for that, too. A good project manager can help you get your systems organized and processes in place. And once that’s ready to roll, they can also help you bring on additional team members.
Hardwire feedback
For some reason, feedback has become a bit of a dirty word. Like it’s a negative thing. But I like to think of feedback as open dialogue that happens frequently — not just when something goes wrong.
With a new team member, of course, there will probably be more feedback as you figure out how to work together. It won’t go perfectly at first — expect bumps in the road. And I even communicate that to my new team members, to ease any uncertainty.
Then, as time goes on and you start delegating more and more, it’s just as important to have a feedback loop in place so you can communicate expectations and confirm understanding.
None of us are mind readers. And especially with everyone working remotely, we have to make even more effort to communicate what we’re thinking.
Of course, if something doesn't meet your expectations, you have to have an open conversation about it. And you’ll find that it’s easier to have these discussions when they’re happening regularly, and not just in “uh-oh” moments. It’s also during these times of collaborating and solving tricky problems together that you’ll feel your team strengthening.
Be clear without micromanaging
If you want your team members to get excited about what they’re doing, be clear about what you expect and what a successful end result looks like. Then explain how they are critical to making this happen. Letting them in from the start about why what they’re doing is so important can help them connect the dots between their daily to-do list and the overall mission of your company.
As the business owner, your first priority is activating your team. This means that instead of telling them what to do, you’re sharing your perspective and helping shape ideas. So the trick is to find the right balance of staying engaged at the appropriate level without micromanaging… and without being an essential stopping point for every task.
Be open with your team about delegating
When you first start building your team… or start trying new ways of delegating… you won’t be perfect at it. Which is okay. And it’s also okay to let your team in on this.
Be open about the projects you’re working on and even ask them to remind you to delegate. This can also work as an accountability check for yourself. As the CEO of your own company, you’re not really accountable to anyone but yourself. When you open up with your team about your projects, you’re now on the hook for getting them done.
And always be looking for new opportunities to transfer skills. From yourself to team members and between team members. The more open you are to transferring skills… the stronger your team will be. The more quickly your business will grow. And the more time you can spend working in your Zone of Genius.
Too much on your plate? Start building your team.
Whenever I have conversations about delegating with online entrepreneurs who are still solo operators, there’s usually a point during the conversation where they get really quiet.
And it’s because they know they need to delegate some of their tasks to grow their business.... but they don’t know how to get started. It feels insurmountable.
It’s from this very place that my free mini-course, The 5 Things No One Tells You About Hiring Freelancers, was created. It has all the tips and resources I use as a professional hiring strategist to help you get started hiring… the right way.
No more wasting your time trying to figure out how to hire. And no more wasting your money on freelancers that don’t work out.
Sign up for my free mini-course and get your step-by-step hiring playbook delivered straight to your inbox.
