How to delegate successfully in business is something that the best of entrepreneurs have managed to get right in order to accelerate their productivity. People like Richard Branson have spoken about the power of realising your strengths and weaknesses, and delegating accordingly.
It’s something that really can save you time and energy. You don’t need to struggle doing it all alone, despite what social media would have you believe with all its ‘hustle culture’.
So, how can you delegate successfully as an entrepreneur?
What is Delegation in Business?
Delegating, essentially, means handing over parts of work or tasks to others. When I think of the word, I often think back to being in my Leaving Cert Business class.
In our textbook, there was a whole chapter on delegating. It said “successful managers learn how to successfully delegate. And to be successful in business, you have to know how to successfully delegate.”
And this is so true. Entrepreneurs are notorious for burning the candle at both ends. According to the World Health Organization, burnout is now classified as an occupational phenomenon, with symptoms including exhaustion, cynicism and professional efficacy. If you’re feeling like this, then I have a blog post about overcoming entrepreneurial burnout to help.
Obviously you can only progress so much as one person. You have to rely on others if you really want to accelerate your growth in business.
And if you don’t master this – no one will want to work with someone who’s constantly carrying a negative, rushed energy with them all the time.
Get Realistic About Your Workload
The champion in this space, Richard Branson, talks openly about realising the necessity or delegation. He says himself that he’s not that skilled in all of the areas of business. He recognises his strengths and weaknesses, and delegates accordingly.
I think it’s amazing to hear someone say that. Coming to terms with that was something that really propelled him towards how to work well with others because he was self aware enough to recognise that he was in need of it.
I think it’s always inspiring when you hear hugely successful people in business talk so openly about their weaknesses and the journeys they went on in terms of learning certain skills. This vulnerability helps us connect, and this connection is vital in business. None of us are superhuman.
Not even Richard Branson.
How To Delegate Successfully in Business
Master delegation and you’ll find that people actually love working with you. What’s more, people will empower you by taking on more work so you can do more of what you’re amazing at.
Here’s how to delegate effectively.
Step 1 – Communicate
The first thing I would say is that if you’re working with anyone, sit down with them and really get to know them. Have what might feel like a slightly awkward conversation at first and ask questions such as the following:
- “If I’m working with you, how do you like to be worked with?”
- “How do you like me to communicate with you?”
- “Are you comfortable with me telling you how you could improve upfront? Would email work for you to do that or would you prefer this in person?”
- “Do you like me talking through jobs with you in person or do you prefer written instructions?”
Everybody works differently. And more importantly, everybody communicates differently. Essentially, in mastering delegation, you have to master communication.
Step 2 – Delegate Well Using Clear Instructions
Whenever it is that you’re thinking about delegating: actually delegate it!
Don’t give something with no context or information that is needed to complete the task successfully – or to the level it is that you are looking for. If you haven’t given enough relevant information, it will come back to bite you as a lack of quality in the work produced.
And the bad news is that this will fall back on you, not the person completing the task.
Sometimes people say sort of off the cuff “will you do this for me?”
And the person has to ask; “Do what?”
It’s striking the amount of times people don’t realise they’re being unclear when trying to convey something. Your employee might say: “Ok, well in order to complete this task I need X, Y and Z from you.” And that process becomes really taxing for both people involved.
So make sure you have clearly stated what it is you want the person to do, and give all that they need to do that. Give access to whatever platforms they’ll need, all the guidance and supporting content to do the task exactly as you want done.
Sometimes people say sort of off the cuff, “Will you do this for me?”
And the person has to ask; “Do what?”
It’s striking the amount of times people don’t realise they’re being unclear when trying to convey something. Your employee might say: “Ok, well in order to complete this task I need X, Y and Z from you.” And that process becomes really taxing for both people involved.
So make sure you have clearly stated what it is you want the person to do, and give all that they need to do that. Give access to whatever platforms they’ll need, along with all the guidance and supporting content to do the task exactly as you want done.
For more information on writing great briefs, check out this handy guide from BetterBriefs.
Remember to let the person you’re delegating to know what a successful outcome will look like so they know exactly what they’re working towards. All that guiding information will dramatically increase the chance of success when you delegate.
In addition to this, you’ll feed the relationship by empowering somebody else to go out and actually do the job, rather than having to go back and forth with you. This makes it a more efficient and an easier process for everyone in the long-run.
Step 3 – Conduct Appraisals
Whenever the job is complete, it’s important to sit down with the person who completed the work and appraise them appropriately.
If they’ve done a really good job – let them know! And if areas could be better…let them know that too (constructively).
And then give an opportunity going forward.
Every time you delegate, it’s a learning experience.
Ready to Delegate?
The first time you delegate, of course it isn’t going to be done perfectly. Everything takes practice.
But if you’ve had the conversation upfront, the next time you do something –– provided the person is really listening and is present – it’s going to be a different world altogether.
Make sure the person knows that it’s okay to come back to you and ask questions in order to complete the task successfully. Going forward, you’ll then be aware of what kind of information you left out the first time and know exactly what to include the next time.
So just know that the first time will probably be a bit “off.” But both parties, as I said, will learn. The second time things will be that little bit better. And you’ll both learn about not just the task but communicating better with each other. And this process will continue until things are running seamlessly, giving you more time to show up in your business as your very best (and not burned out) self.