Delegating is a balancing act, but when you do it right, that’s when growth happens. I hope these steps help you get there.
When starting a business, entrepreneurs are faced with seemingly endless to-do lists. I did everything at Virgin Records. I had at least 10 job titles (depending on who I was talking to): marketing, PR, operations, business development… you name it, I did it.
Working in so many areas is great because it allows you to learn quickly, expand your skill set and face challenges with confidence, but we could never have gone from a mail-order record retailer to a global brand if I hadn’t learned to delegate from the start.
With that in mind, I decided to write a five-step guide to learning how to delegate that I have followed over the years. I hope you find it useful as well.
Reflect on the tasks that come naturally to you. What elements of the business do you find enjoyable and stress-free? What do you find demanding and time-consuming?
Ask your friends, family, and colleagues for their honest observations, too. Once you’ve collected your thoughts and findings, write them down and make note of any patterns and themes.
Identify the areas that need improvement, as well as the existing challenges and missing elements that your business needs to achieve in order to climb. This will determine the type of skill sets, assets, experience levels, and personal attributes your business and team are missing.
Needs Building a dynamic and diverse team if you’re going to be able to delegate and be successful. Look for characteristics in people that balance out your less effective areas. Take the time to find people who understand the business and can imagine ways to improve it without losing sight of your vision.
Now that you’ve established a loyal and reliable team with talent in the right places, you can sit back and start looking at the bigger picture. However, it’s important to remain visible, accessible, and connected to all the moving parts of the company.
Delegation is a balancing act, but when you do it right, that’s when growth happens. I hope these steps help you get there.
