Learn how to effectively delegate so you can focus on your business

If you really want to grow as an entrepreneur, you've got to learn to delegate." Richard Branson

As entrepreneurs, we wear many hats. It can be a challenge to learn how to let go and delegate responsibility to other members of the team. Many of us are reluctant to delegate because let's face it, who knows our business better than we do? And, it takes a ton of up-front effort to teach and train someone to do a task that we can do ourselves in our sleep. Right?....Wrong!

There's two main reasons why delegation is they key driving force to your next level of success. First, delegating tasks to others allows you to maximize your own productivity and value, thus focusing your efforts on developing new strategies to grow your business.

Secondly, it allows other people in the team to further develop their skills so they can reach their full potential in the organization. This also means the next time a similar project comes up, you can be confident that if you delegate that task that it will be done well and with much less involvement from you.

Here's 6 steps to help you delegate tasks so you can focus on growing your business:

1.) Delegate the entire task without micro-managing

The more responsibility you give to the right people, the more competent they become. Giving them 100% responsibility for a task is a major performance motivator. It's crucial to maintain control by being available to provide feedback and give advice without micro-managing.

2.) Develop processes that can be repeated

Sure, you may have been the brains of the organization, but that doesn't mean you have to do EVERYTHING when it comes to your business. You know the saying "Monkey See, Monkey Do"? Don't hoard all the information in your head, write it down in a clear, easy-to-understand format and teach someone else to do tasks that can be repeated to free up your time for more important things.

3.) Analyze your workload

How do you spend your day? I bet if you took the time to write down what you do throughout the day and the time it takes you to do it, you'll find that you aren't being as productive as you think you are; even though your days are jam-packed with things to do. Take the next 10 business days and keep a log of your schedule. How much time is dedicated to strategic brainstorming? How much time in your day is spent putting out fires? Figure out the daily tasks you do that you can delegate to someone else.

4.) Share your vision with your team

Sharing with your team knowledge of your future business strategies creates excitement, makes their work feel important and gives them direction. Plus, you never know, someone on your team might come up with a brilliant innovative idea to propel you forward faster. And investing in professional development will help your team evolve as your business grows.

5.) Coach, trust and empower your team

Look at your team as if they are an extension of yourself. You need to have faith in the people you delegate to. With proper coaching and training your people will be able to take on more complex tasks. Trust that they will do the job properly, allow them to exceed your expectations and give them room for calculated risks. An empowered team will result in greater returns for your business.

6.) Clarify the task and have them feed it back

Specify deadlines, deliverables and milestones. Explain how the task impacts the company. Ensure they fully understand what needs to be done and then ask them to repeat it back to you in their own words and confirm their commitment This will give you both confidence that the project will be understood and completed properly.

You must be continuously seeking ways to outsource, delegate and get other people to do things that you are not the best at, delegate time-consuming tasks and projects that recur frequently.

Questions you can ask yourself:

* Is anyone else capable of doing this job?

* Is this a task that will recur similarly in the future?

* Who can do this task better than me?

* Can this activity be eliminated altogether?

* Does the job provide an opportunity to grow and develop another person's skills?

* Who can do this job at a lower cost than me?

You may notice when you first start to delegate to someone, they might take longer than you do to complete the task. Have patience. You are an expert and they are still learning. If you are delegating properly and you've chosen the right person, they will quickly become reliable and competent.

Can you think of any immediate tasks you can delegate right away?

Book your FREE session with Lisa to learn how coaching can help you!

Lisa Lyttle | Certified International Life & Business Coach

Phone: 415-484-5014 | Email: [email protected] | Web: www.lisalyttle.com

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