The 7 Must-Do Steps to Delegating

05 Mar The 7 Must-Do Steps to Delegating

As an entrepreneur, delegating should be your superpower. Without delegating (or being willing to delegate), you inevitably set yourself up to having too much to do, and never enough time to get it all done.

I often ask my clients, “Are there people that can get the work done faster or better than you?” And, most often the answer is “Yes!”. In order to truly scale and grow your business, you have to shift from thinking that only you can do the work to embracing the fact that others on your team can get the work done too.

Ask yourself, “is it important that you do the work, or is it more important that the work gets done?” If you are caught up in thinking that only you can do the work, then you may be putting effort into areas in your business that can easily be delegated. To successfully delegate, here are the 7 steps you should take.

1. Identify the task. To successfully delegate, you have to clearly define what the task is and what the objective is. If you don’t know what it is that you want the other person to do, then you can’t expect them to know either. Take time to identify the task and why it needs to be done.
2. Choose the right person. Before you delegate a task, think of the skills needed to do the work and choose accordingly. You want the task to be done successfully so make sure it is in the right person’s hands.
3. Communicate the steps. Explain how the task must be completed and any important nuances that they need to know. Leaving out critical information can sabotage the task. This is why it is important to think through what task you want to delegate, before you do it, so you can be sure you understand the full scope of work needed to be done.
4. Identify the deadline or milestones. Determine when the task needs to be completed and be as specific as possible. Avoid saying things like, “sometime next week” and instead say “I need this by 3pm on Wednesday”. This way everyone is clear on when the work must be completed, and the other person can plan accordingly.
5. Check for understanding. Have the person repeat back to you what the task is. This will be a good exercise to ensure that they have the correct understanding of the task at hand. It will also highlight any areas that are confusing or misunderstood, so you can clarify them now before they get started.
6. Define what progress means. Outline what you are going to do to measure their progress along the way. Are you going to ask them to provide a weekly update? Are you looking for a draft or pieces of the project leading up to the final deadline? Whatever your way is to hold them accountable, let them know at the start of the project, and be sure to check in often.
7. Create the consequences. What is the overall objective of this project? Is it for a client? Do you need it to complete a larger business project? When you know the objective you can convey this to the person and outline the consequences if the task is not completed. Will this make you lose funding? Will a client be lost? Will it delay a product rollout? Outline what the consequences are if the project is not completed on time or done correctly. This helps to shape the importance and priority of the project for the other person.

Delegating, when done right, can be the key to helping you explode your business productivity. But, be clear and very intentional in how you delegate and to whom. Be open to learning and evolving your delegation system as your business grows – to ensure you get the results you need to keep your business moving forward.