What NOT To Do When Delegating
If there's one subject I could talk for hours about without any prep, it would be delegation - and whether you've seen me on socials or you're a regular reader of this blog, you'll know I've spoken before about how you can become a really effective delegator.
And it's no surprise that so many of my clients come to me for help with this - it's still a skill that many entrepreneurs are actively working on.
When you're looking to grow and expand your business, eventually you'll become the bottleneck if you don't learn how to hand over work to either an in-house team, or trusted professionals.
However, many busy business people struggle to let go of the reins - either they don't fully trust the team they have to do the jobs they task them with, or their business structure isn't set up for them to successfully delegate.
But while there are some things to always do when you're learning how to delegate better (I have a whole masterclass on the topic), there are also some things to avoid.
Here are three things you should NOT do when you're mastering the art of delegating.
Don't delegate to an overloaded team
If your team is already overloaded and has no time to take on delegated tasks, then it's time to look at your people and business structure closely.
One of two things could be happening in this case:
You have the wrong people in the roles so their skills aren't a good match. This means simple tasks take longer than you might expect, leading to a team that seems over-stretched and unable to take on any more. Here you need to look at your people and make changes to build the most efficient and effective team for your business. There are also some great signs to look out for here to spot if your team are overloaded.
You don't have a big enough team, so your resources are being stretched too thin. In this case, to be able to clear your own desk of tasks you should consider hiring.
Don't delegate crisis management
No matter how well prepped you are, unfortunately sometimes things go wrong.
Whether it's an internal problem or a client-facing challenge, most crisis-management situations will need to have at least some input from you.
As the CEO, you have the ability to help diffuse the situation and help things come to a resolution - and especially with client issues. A bit of attention from the head of the business goes a long way to smooth things over.
Don't forget to communicate clearly
While there are some great tools to help you delegate effectively, some of which are communication tools, it's important not to forget the importance of clear and concise communication with your team.
Electronic project and team management tools are great for assigning tasks, keeping an eye on due dates and ensuring workloads are well-balanced, but you should also make sure you're setting aside some time for team sessions as well as that all-important one-to-one time with your team.
Communication is one of the cornerstones of an effective leader, and your team will be more in line with your mission and values if you make sure to keep them informed at every step of the way.
Over to you
What other things do you avoid when you're delegating?
Selina Johnson — Business Support Expert, solution seeker and freedom fixer — helps successful coaches, consultants, speakers and entrepreneurs from across the globe to scale their businesses, make more money and achieve faster, sustainable results without compromising their time.
Over the past 16 years, she’s supported high profile individuals like award-winning architect Dame Zaha Hadid DBE, Sunday Times Top 20 Most Influential Entrepreneurs In The UK Sháá Wasmund MBE, former Co-Director of the Serpentine Gallery Dame Julia Peyton-Jones DBE, and Russian billionaire Timur Sardarov.
Today, she teaches brilliant entrepreneurs just like you how to implement her simple methods that result in BIG wins in their businesses — including the dynamite delegation strategies, time management hacks and mindset mastery she’s used to halve her hours, double her income and ditch her commute, leaving her free to create and live the life she loves.