Many small business owners have a fear of delegating tasks out to others. However, if you want to grow your business, you need to understand that you can’t do it alone. Not only do you lack enough available hours to do everything yourself, but you also don’t always have the skills you need to do every task in your business.
But if you have a fear of delegating tasks out to others, it’s often easier said than done, to get over it and start outsourcing tasks. However, it’s something you do need to get past if you want your business to flourish. So here are 7 steps you can take, to help you get over your fear of delegating and get the support your business needs.
Step #1: Establish what you’re worried about
A fear around delegation can stem from any number of fears and worries. To start getting over it, you need to begin by getting clear on what your real fear or worry is. Does it stem from a fear of losing control or looking weak? Maybe you’re worried about the poor results you may get back or the lack of faith you have in your team. Whatever your fears and worries are, get them out in the open so you can address them.
Step #2: Drop the need for perfectionism
Your next step is to know what done looks like for you. Often, a fear of delegating tasks to others can be linked to a need for perfect results. So look to ascertain what are the minimum viable results you need, to have the task completed well, rather than perfect.
Step #3: Focus on the bigger goal rather than focusing on your fear of delegating
Sometimes it can help to look at the bigger picture, rather than stressing over the results you may get back from a single task. Look at where this particular project or task fits in with the bigger objectives of your business and how big or little an impact it will have on your overall big goal.
Step #4: Delegate to the right person
When you outsource tasks, ease that fear of you have around delegation, by matching projects and tasks to people with the right skills and aptitude to do them. If there isn’t anyone you feel fits that bill, look into outsourcing outside of your immediate team or take time to train someone to complete this type of task to the standard you need.
Step #5: Get clear on what you need
If you’re clear on the results you need, you’ll be able to accurately brief the person you’re delegating the task to. Give them all the parameters and goals they need, to do the job well and so they can understand exactly what you need them to do. This will help minimise disappointment in the results you receive back.
Step #6: Have a checklist in place
If it helps ease your fears of delegating to others, send tasks out with a checklist of things that need doing, to ensure all of your goals and needs have been met. This will serve as a reminder for the person taking on the task, as well as becoming a handy checklist and accountability tool for you to use, once the completed task is returned.
Step #7: Start small and work up
Sometimes, you just need to get into the habit of delegating tasks out to others. If your fear of delegating is big, you may need to start with smaller, simpler tasks, until you have built trust in your team and with outsourcing generally. If you start small and work up, you’re relaxing that fear of delegating gradually. You’re gently reprogramming yourself to accept that it can help you and that you can get the results you want.
Many small business owners have a fear around delegating tasks to others. But it doesn’t have to hold you back. If you’re willing to follow the steps above, you’ll soon relax those fears around delegating and will be able to benefit from the rewards it can bring to your business.
And if you’re ready to start delegating out a few of those tasks on your to-do list, why not contact us and see how we can help? Here at Paperweight PA, we’re here to help you get the flexible administrative support you need. So get in touch and book your free initial consultation to see how we can help you!
Image courtesy of AndreyPopv/DepositPhotos.com
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