That title isn’t completely accurate but Antonia and I were talking about Record Breakers the other day – you remember it right? The late trumpet playing Roy Castle overseeing a range of impressive, and at times odd, record breaking attempts. It was essential viewing when we were kids. Antonia was surprised that I could remember it, not sure why…not getting any younger here! Anyway, the theme tune has been in my head and as I set about working on my personal theme this week – honouring my time and worth – I started to think about the importance of delegating (dedication is important too by the way which were the actual lyrics!).
To grow a business (or run a home!) you absolutely must learn to delegate. I’m still learning. I find it hard to delegate. Some (my husband!) might call me a control freak, I find it really hard to let go. But let go I must, and so must you!
When and what to delegate;
1. Delegate things you hate – you’ll always find excuses not to do things you hate, delegate them and ensure they no longer take up any head space and they get done.
2. Delegate things you aren’t good at – don’t waste time mastering everything, as soon as you have the resources invest in people that can do certain jobs better than you. At home I’ve learned to spot when Erin is quite good at something and giving her the chance to help, which she seems to really love – at the moment anyway!
3. Delegate things that others can do more cheaply – if you’ve worked out that your time is worth £100 an hr, then you should delegate everything that doesn’t contribute directly to you earning that. Hard to do, and there are a few exceptions along the way, but a good rule of thumb that will keep you questioning everything you’re doing. That’s how it works in business anyway, at home I have been more open to getting help when I need it, especially the cleaning and gardening.
4. Delegate if you’ve become the bottle neck – are you holding your business back? It’s often the case that the very person trying t grow the business (the owner) is the very person that holds the business back. If you’ve become a bottle neck you need to delegate and get things flowing more freely. At home I do tend to get in the way of getting jobs done as I think everything has to be perfect. I’ve found that letting others help and do things in their own way means at least they get done and I don’t have everything piling up!
Can you think of any more?
