I\u2019ve written about delegation before, but I continue to think about it because so many small business owners don\u2019t do it very well.<\/p>\n
Entrepreneurs often like to pull all the significant levers in the business and push all the important buttons.\u00a0 They built the business and know the critical parts of it better than anyone, so they don\u2019t hand off any core decisions, responsibilities, or activities to anyone else.\u00a0 Yet by failing to delegate, the owner is unable to keep good people and unable to grow the business beyond his or her personal limitations.\u00a0 If this is a problem for you, please read below.<\/p>\n
In the end, effective delegation is a trust issue.\u00a0 What if I do hand off something important to someone else and they screw it up?<\/p>\n
Here\u2019s a way to limit your risk and gradually learn to delegate effectively.<\/p>\n
Divide the all the company\u2019s identifiable, distinct decisions, responsibilities, or activities into four categories: A, B, C, and D.\u00a0 When you assign a D responsibility to someone, instruct that person that this responsibility is theirs and theirs alone.\u00a0 They should just go ahead and carry it out.\u00a0 Don\u2019t call, don\u2019t write, don\u2019t report to me when you\u2019ve done it.\u00a0 Just do it.<\/p>\n
When giving out a C responsibility, you instruct that person that this is still a responsibility that is theirs, and they don\u2019t need get permission in advance, just go ahead and do it.\u00a0 But in this case, you want to be notified when it\u2019s done.<\/p>\n
B responsibilities are moving up the ladder another rung.\u00a0 You should instruct the person with these responsibilities, \u201cThese do require a consultation, so before you pull the trigger on one of these, we need to talk about it.\u201d<\/p>\n
You can show your subordinates a list of A responsibilities, but you don\u2019t give those out.\u00a0 Those are the decisions, responsibilities, or activities that you will continue to reserve for yourself.\u00a0 Ideally, over time, these will be the long-term, strategic decisions you are making for the company.<\/p>\n
If this is done in a clear, well-defined way, you will have drawn very effective boundaries for your people.\u00a0 You shouldn\u2019t have anyone going off the reservation and doing things he or she has no authority to do.\u00a0 In short, you maintain control.\u00a0 But better yet, you begin a process of delegation that can grow over time.\u00a0 Again, this is a trust issue.\u00a0 So you build trust as you see how effectively your subordinates handle the responsibilities you\u2019ve given them.\u00a0 Then more of your A responsibilities can become B responsibilities and given to someone else.\u00a0 Likewise, a B can be transformed into a C, or a C to a D.\u00a0 It\u2019s just a way to avoid throwing someone into the deep end of the pool before they\u2019ve proved they can swim.<\/p>\n
One other caveat: when you delegate something to someone, judge the results they achieve, not their methods.\u00a0 They may carry out a responsibility differently than you would have done it, but if they get the desired result, who cares?\u00a0 Don\u2019t micro manage.\u00a0 Give them some latitude to do things their way, to bring something of themselves and their creativity to the process.\u00a0 Who knows?\u00a0 If you let them alone, they may even figure out a way that\u2019s better than yours.<\/p>\n
This is an evolutionary way to build delegation into your company\u2019s culture.\u00a0 Ultimately, your subordinates will be doing the things they are qualified to do, and you\u2019ll be left with only those things that truly belong on your plate.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
I\u2019ve written about delegation before, but I continue to think about it because so many small business owners don\u2019t do it very well. Entrepreneurs often like to pull all the significant levers in the business and push all the important buttons.\u00a0 They built the business and know the critical parts of it better than anyone,<\/p>\n