In order to have a good business you need to learn how to delegate tasks to your employees.
Delegation is one of the hardest things for business owners to do – the thought of relinquishing control and allowing someone to do your work is out of the questions – surely?
In fact it is not hard at all and is one of the best things you can do in business. There is a saying that even if your employees do things at least 80% as good as you do then this is better than you doing it 100% right.
Take a look at your work for the following week and decide on which day you want to take off every week and then stick to that. Then take a look at the tasks you would need to delegate from your work load so that things will not fall behind because you are now only there for 4 days instead of 5 (don’t tell me you work 7 days or even 6 days – if you do then take at least one of these days off and even better two of them).
Now decide which employee or employees you can then award your work load to. You may need to spend a bit of time training them – but you will soon find that they will be quite happy to take on your work and they may even do a better job!
You can then sit back and enjoy that day off each week and every week in the knowledge that your employees are working hard for you. If you choose a Friday as your day off, then you have just created long weekends for you and your family on a long-term basis.
Once you have got used to taking one day off for pleasure purposes you should then take another look at your work load. Review how to delegate another days-worth of work so that you can spend that extra day working ‘ON’ the business instead of ‘IN’ the business…let me explain…Working ‘ON’ your business involves looking at the bigger picture and strategic planning of where the business should be heading. You should be looking at ways in which you can expand the business and how to grow the business.
By learning how to delegate task in your business will give you more free time and your business will become much more valuable. A business is much more valuable if it is less dependent upon the owners and as you will be spending more time on strategic planning and on building your business it will also be more profitable.
I also agree that delegation is hard for many buisness owners.
I agree delegation is hard for business owners, i know a lot of business owners want their employees to do things they way they want, which is reasonable, especially if its a very important task…
It is true that if you let your employees do your work even if they do it 80% to its full potential because you will take some well needed time off.
The hard part for people is mainly trust because it is their business and they want everything to be perfect which is completely understandable when they are a bit cautious to put it all in someone else hands.
I note you say that you are a business manager, which is different to an owner. Owners of businesses do get hung up on doing the work themselves for fear that an employee will not cope and will not do a perfect job, when perfection is not necessary.
Agreed Joss – good point
Hi Bus web templates – you have used the correct term ‘control’ and you have hit the nail on the head. If business owners are able to let go of control they will have a much better business in the long-run
Hi Ed, I think you will find it hard to find employees to do things in quite the same way as you as a business owner. Although, I note you say that you are a business manager, which is different to an owner. Owners of businesses do get hung up on doing the work themselves for fear that an employee will not cope and will not do a perfect job, when perfection is not necessary.
..I think it’s right not just about small businesses but about any businesses in general – if you want to grow you have to give up some of the control – you can’t control everything when your business is big..
You raise a great point delegation = letting go, and many small business owners have the desire to control everything, delegation requires giving up some of that control.
Deligation is certainly one of the most notable perks of being a business manager. However I am not sure that I agree with the saying, “even if your employees do things at least 80% as good as you do then this is better than you doing it 100% right.” Personally I would have to say that in deligation it is best to choose an employee that would complete the task aswell as you can yourself. If you dont feel confident that your employees would be able to do so, then perhaps they are not the right people for your business. Afterall, in order to succeed in the business world it is not just good management that is needed.
.-= Business News Ed´s last blog ..VW and Porsche merger set to become biggest car company =-.