Tips to Help Entrepreneurs Delegate

In a previous 2 part series I discussed some tips to ensure you have effective time management. Within this I briefly discussed the importance of delegation. For the aspiring entrepreneur delegation can be difficult to master. However if you are to be successful being able to delegate is likely to be a skill you will need to be able to utilise. For many entrepreneurs one of the biggest reasons for not delegating may be a lack of trust or faith in the individuals you are delegating to. Perhaps you fear they will "mess it up" or that it would be
"quicker to do it yourself than explain it to someone else". This may be true. However if you are employing staff and you are completing tasks that they could complete then you are wasting both time and money. Which are potentially your two most valuable resources.

When delegating to others it is important that you do not take anything for granted. Do not assume that because you know something that your employee will too. It is worth spending extra time to explain a task in order to ensure they complete it to the required standard as opposed to giving them a rushed explanation and confusion over what they should be doing. Remember delegating is a long term investment. Completing tasks yourself instead of training others to complete the task may feel quicker and easy. However this could be a short sighted view. If there are a number of tasks you complete that others could complete and you are carrying out these tasks frequently then it is a false economy to continue to complete them yourself. Perhaps an effective way to decide whether you should delegate or not is to write down how much time you spend on completing tasks you could delegate.

Tips for Delegating:

Delegate dependant on competency: It is important that when you delegate a task to an employee you are confident they have the ability to complete it to the expected standard. If you know they don't have the required skills this is likely to de-motivate the person, if, as expected they fail. The only time this may be useful is if you want to try and establish a baseline of the individuals competence with a view to supporting their development. However you need to ensure that this is not done with tasks that would effect your businesses reputation. Do not assume that people will know how to complete the task - it is always worth checking. Ensure they are aware of the expected standard this should help to save time in the future by preventing unneccessary mistakes or sub-standard work.
Remain available: If you are not completely sure that the person you have delegated a task to is competent but you still want to give them a chance then it is very important you ensure you are available to support them if they need it. Of equal importance is them knowing that you are available and give them any support they may require.
Set a deadline: Setting a deadline is an important way to ensure tasks are completed on time. When delegating ensure the deadline you give allows enough time for you to check the work has been completed to the required standard and leaves you with sufficent time to rectify any errors where necessary.
Check the quality of work: Before submitting the work you have delegated ensure you check the standard. Remember it is your business and your reputation at stake. This is why it is important deadlines are set to allow for quality control.
Reflect on your delegation: It is always important to reflect especially when you are new to a particular skill. If an employee has not completed a task to the required standard or by an agreed deadline it is important to establish why. This process will also allow you to give the employee feedback. It is always good to start with something they have done well and then highlight an area for development.

Learning to delegate effectively is not always an easy skill. however it is one that is worth developing. The better you become at it the more you will find you have time free to ensure your business remains competitive.