Delegation and why it is good for your business! 
Delegation is such a hard thing for a lot of people to do. It involves a combination of things that many of us really struggle with.
- Confidence in the other person to do the job.
- Getting over the D.I.Y attitude that those home improvement shows have instilled in us.
- And uncovering what other tasks you should be doing instead.
Time is a precious commodity. Without delegation you will restrict the number of tasks you can complete within the 24 hour day. However, if you recruit others to help you, you can complete your tasks a lot quicker, increasing and maximizing your businesses’ productivity.
I delegate to people who I have trained, including employees, subcontractors and family members. I also delegate to skilled professionals and trades. For other great ways to unlock the hidden time in your day please refer to this article.
Confidence in others
I have the confidence to delegate to employees, subcontractors and family because I have developed systems and procedures that ensures they will do the task correctly. Employees and subcontractors also have access to a manual containing steps and examples of the common tasks, and have the manual to refer back to if they require.
The training of family is a little more subtle. Systems are put in place to help them to do the task, and more often than not the system needs to be backed up by reward or punishment. For example, I don’t want dirty clothes all over the kids bedroom floor, so I provide them with a dirty clothes basket in the room, which must be emptied at least once a week. If the task is completed the reward is that the cat doesn’t wee on their clothes and stink out their room. If the task isn’t completed you can guess what happens.
DIY attitude reset
It’s a great feeling when you have successfully put together an IKEA flat-pack furniture item, and there are two bolts left. But let’s think about what the real cost is to you and your loved ones.
1. If you are a professional or trade business owner, spending three hours during a weekday completing the task, will cost you up to $660. This was time you didn’t spend with family or friends. Furthermore, you could be spending this time doing something fun, educational and something which better suits your skill-sets.
2. For $25 per hour a lovely person from Airtasker.com would have completed the task and all of the bolts would have been used to properly assemble the item.
3. If frustration gets the better of you and you damage the product, IKEA won’t take it back. Consequently, you have wasted three hours of your life and you will have to buy a replacement.
You can also apply these same lessons in a business environment. If someone else is more qualified, cheaper and faster, give them the task to complete.
What to do instead?
You have made the decision to delegate. Now, what should you do with the extra time created? My answer is to do one of the following things;
1. A task that will help you and/or your business to grow.
2. A task that you have been putting off.
3. A task that will make a family member happy.
4. A task that suits your level of skill and pay grade.
5. A task that will help you meet someone new or consolidate an existing relationship
A great example of effective delegation is this article. I made the decision not to spend my Saturday morning washing, rinsing and sealing my driveway. Instead, by hiring a concrete sealing business to come out and do the task, I freed up this time for engaging in other activities. In addition, the concrete sealer has the skill, equipment and time to do the task properly, and has responsibility to rectify any errors or mistakes.
I looked out at the window at the Concrete Sealer and thought about what I could be doing with the time now available. The answer – writing an article for my business website about delegation.
Writing this article was a task that covered the following points;
- A task that helps my business
- A task I have put off
- An activity better suited to my skill-level (I love writing and I think I am quite good at it)
- A task from which I will hopefully meet you the reader from one day.
Here at Complete Accounting we provide a range of business services. To discover new and innovative ways to improve your business please contact us by entering you details below.
