You’ve tried to control everything up to this point. You’ve tried to manage the staff, payroll, inventory, business planning, analysis, and anything else that comes across your table. But the fact of the matter is that you can’t be everywhere at once. You need help if you want your business to grow.
At first, it may seem feasible, even necessary, to take care of everything by yourself. But as you and your business grow, you’ll begin to feel that you are working beyond your capacity, which means those important tasks are going to be neglected. Things are going to be overlooked. Speed and efficiency will begin to take over quality. But in order for your business to be as successful as possible, every aspect of the business needs to be attended to properly; otherwise, you’re just going to be floating in place, stagnant, wondering what went wrong.
So what do you do? Delegation, or the allocation of tasks to other people, is key to continuing to grow your business while making sure those important tasks are taken care of, whether you take care of them yourself or let someone else do the work.
By delegating work, you multiply yourself, create extensions of yourself, and allow employees or assistants to take on some of the responsibility. Then you can pay attention to the most important aspects of your business.
Areas of Delegation
Take time to get the important work done
Delegating gives you, the owner or manager, the opportunity to take care of the most important aspects of the business, like planning, business strategy, business analysis, etc. By concentrating on the primary concerns of the business, the effectiveness of the business as a whole goes up, and people are able to work more efficiently.
Here’s an example: If you’re spending all your time trying to figure out your Xero accounts software, rather than allocating your time to paying attention to things that push your business into new areas, your business will suffer. Hiring an assistant or accountant (virtual or otherwise) will free up this significant portion of time.
Create a hierarchy
As more and more small businesses pop up around the world, the more you see a trend of more relaxed leadership or management. While this is great for keeping business morale high, it can also blur lines of hierarchy. It can lead to employees questioning what they are responsible for and who they are supposed to report to. But it really depends on what kind of leader you are.
Delegation can create a hierarchy if done correctly, which leads to authority and a system of responsibility. When employees know that they have someone to report to, someone to bounce ideas off of, they are more likely to respond with efficiency. This authority runs from top to bottom, which creates relationships based on results, and that, in turn, creates a highly efficient business.
Getting the most out of employees
By delegating, you are giving your employees the chance to feel as if they have a part in the business. Why is it important? It allows the cream rise to the top, so to speak, which allows the employees to flourish and grow.
This is really all about motivation. Employees that are given important tasks tend to take those challenges head on and feel motivated to provide the best results possible. And you may be thinking that is great for management or higher positions, but the truth is that when you’ve got a good delegation routine working, this flows through all levels of the business. The idea of promotions is a great way to keep employees motivated.
Through motivation and contribution you get job satisfaction. Retaining quality employees is crucial for any small business. Happy employees have the chance to develop their skills and improve their weaknesses. This is true for all levels of the business, including you in the biggest management roles. Those in higher positions get to work on their communication skills, decision-making, supervision, motivation skills, and guidance.
This is how leadership is tested by you.
Help your business grow
All of this leads in one direction. By delegating and making sure you have capable people to run the day-to-day operations, you are ensuring that you have the time to build your business and put the necessary time into growing your business.
Through delegation, you develop new departments and divisions of the business. Aside from the obvious growth in personnel, this helps your business expand both vertically and horizontally.
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Clik here to view.This post was written by Haylen Bradley. Sheis a contributor at TipsOnHowToSaveMoney.com, and also consults for small businesses in the Houston area while she pursues her MBA at night. Follow her on Twitter.
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