Hands Off: How to Delegate Effectively

For some of us, delegating is as natural as breathing. But for many entrepreneurs, delegation is a big challenge that can turn into a roadblock to success.

In order to scale any business, leaders must reach a point where they can let go of a lot of the day-to-day details. If you can’t delegate, you may not reach your full potential.

Here are three questions to ask yourself before you start the process:

What’s the vision for your business? First, you need a clear understanding of where you’re taking the company. For entrepreneurs who envision their business being bigger than themselves—something they plan to sell at some point—there will quickly come a time when they can no longer afford to do it all by themselves.

What’s this costing you? If you’re having a hard time letting go, think about what it’s costing you to stay involved in the daily details of your business. Imagine the annual gross income you’d like your business to generate in a year, and then divide that number by 2050 working hours in a year—a close approximation.

Let’s say your first milestone is to generate gross sales of $250,000 next year. What is your time worth if properly invested in the business? If you’re the CEO, divide your annual gross income by hours worked in a year: $250,000/2050=$122 an hour.

Now, take a look at all the ways you spend your time. Do you spend your time on $100/hour work? What is $100/hour work in you company? Can you hire a qualified professional for $25 an hour to do some of the work you’re doing now?

What shouldn’t you be doing? Consider taking a self-evaluation such as the Gallup Clifton StrengthsFinder to identify what you love doing and what you find effortless, as well as what you’re not so great at.

It’s the latter category you can delegate to someone who is more suited and more passionate. Not only will they be able to do these tasks faster, they’ll probably be better at them than you.

When you have that clear picture of your strengths, spending the majority of your time in those areas and delegating the rest will help grow your business.

Keith Baldwin is a strengths-based performance coach who produces measurable performance and engagement results for entrepreneurs, teams and individuals.