Delegation

It’s impossible to grow your business without effective delegation. Delegation is essential for business growth, team morale, and your effectiveness as a leader. Yet it’s a skill that doesn’t get taught almost anywhere.

The 3 Types of Work

Michael Gerber outlined the 3 types of work in his book The E-Myth Revisited: Why Most Small Businesses Don’t Work and What to Do About It. They are 1. Technical, 2. Managerial, and 3. Entrepreneurial.

I think of them like this:

1.?????? Technical – the doing of the things.

2.?????? Managerial – ensuring things get done.

3.?????? Entrepreneurial (aka Strategic) – deciding what things get done.

Most people start their businesses because they are good at a thing. They want to be free of the constraints of working for someone else. They think they can do it better. So, they strike out into the world to do their thing.

The thing about their thing is that it almost doesn’t matter what it is. It can be plumbing, the law, medicine, painting, making Korean food, or physical therapy. But being a master at the thing doesn’t make you a master in the other 2 types of work.

Working ON Your Business

In 2002, I remember being told that I needed to work more ON my business. The problem was, I didn’t really understand what that meant. So, let’s break it down.

The founder doing the Technical work, the doing of the things, is usually necessary in the beginning of any business. It’s likely why you started your business in the first place. You’re good at your thing. But you quickly find there are a lot of things to get done on the technical front beyond your core thing. And this was me. I was doing the things, treating patients, scheduling, billing, paying the bills, marketing, emptying the trash, and all the other things that needed to get done. It can get overwhelming very quickly. So, we hire people to help.

Hiring people to help, whether they are employees, contractors, or outsourced to another business, requires us to move into the Managerial and Entrepreneurial work. We have to decide what needs to get done and how it is to be done – Entrepreneurial work. And we’ve got to ensure that it actually gets done – Managerial work.

Entrepreneurial Work = working ON your business

It is the Entrepreneurial work that is the working ON your business. You decide what needs to get done and how. Ideally you write these things down. You create a playbook others can follow. And you assign the plays (aka processes) to your players (aka employees or team).

The Managerial work is still working IN your business. But it has to happen. And this is where effective delegation, or lack thereof, shows itself. Creating a reporting mechanism and cadence is key.

Managerial Work

For this, I prefer 1 on 1 meetings every week. They can last anywhere from 15 minutes to 45 depending on the complexity of the roles and jobs to get done.

For example, you might meet with your front desk person 15-20 minutes a week to go over key things that affect other players on your team, like scheduling and money collection, as well as any challenges or things they need to do their job. You’ll want to recognize and celebrate successes and make sure they have everything they need to be effective in their position. This can be done in 15-20 minutes with a structured agenda.

A meeting with a manager will likely take longer. They have more people and items to cover. The complexity of the meeting is greater and more decisions will need to be made. But having a regular cadence will keep things on track and from getting out of hand.

Reporting in Delegation

Telling someone, go do this, is not effective delegation. Gaining their agreement on what will get done and by when, and then following through with the reporting will lead to effective delegation.

This reporting mechanism, for example the follow-through that happens during these meetings, will help you ensure that things get done consistently. When they don’t you can make course corrections.

You’ve got to be organized and consistent. But it isn’t super complicated.

The Essentials of Effective Delegation

Delegation isn’t about offloading tasks but empowering your players with ownership. For delegation to work, you must provide clarity, support, and autonomy. Here are some best practices:

1. Define the Objective(s) Clearly Effective delegation starts with a well-defined objective. What does success look like, and by when? Be concise, specific, and clear about the expected outcome.
2. Use the 4 Cs + Agreement Describe the task with the 4 Cs: Clear, Concise, Complete, and Correct. Ensure everyone is aligned with the task’s objectives and expectations, and agrees to do it, creating a sense of ownership and commitment from the start.
3. Shift to Support Mode Once expectations are set and agreement is obtained, shift from monitoring to supporting. Instead of overseeing every step, make yourself available for questions and provide resources as needed. This builds confidence and trust.
4. Empower Through Resources and Authority Players need the right tools, training, and decision-making authority to complete tasks effectively. Avoid micromanagement; instead, give your team the autonomy to choose their approach. But don’t leave out the reporting and follow-through. Regular check-ins are necessary.
5. Encourage Growth and Learning Allow for experimentation, different approaches, and, sometimes, failure. People learn by trying new things, and a supportive leader encourages this. Constructive feedback and public recognition for contributions also go a long way toward player development and morale, as well as encouraging others to act in like ways.

Overcoming Common Delegation Challenges

And finally, don’t fall for these.

• Fear of Losing Control: Trust but verify. Trusting your team’s capabilities is fundamental, but so is regular reporting. Start with small tasks, building up to larger responsibilities as your trust in them grows.
• The “Faster Myself” Trap: It may seem quicker to handle tasks yourself, but over time, delegation leads to more efficient processes and frees up your energy for that Entrepreneurial/Strategic work.
• Perfectionism: Leaders often think their way is the only way. Embrace different methods and allow your team to approach tasks uniquely. Rate success in terms of outcomes and results.

Hand the Baton

Make a list of all the things you need to do this week. Comb through for things that other people can do, things you aren't excited about doing yourself. Go back to the top and use the tools to delegate a couple of these things. Notch a few wins for yourself and for your player(s). Then wash, rinse, repeat. With practice, you will get better and better at it.

And remember what Laozi said, a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.

Do you know a business owner who would benefit from this? Share this with them!