Learning to Delegate: A Way to Multiply Your Results
Learning to delegate has always been one of the main challenges for me personally. By nature, I’m quite controlling and I find it hard to let go. Over time, with experience and conscious effort, I’ve learned to do it, and the truth is, it’s worked well for me. But if you’re like me and struggle to delegate, believe me, I understand you—so I hope this article helps you overcome that, for the benefit of your venture.
“Deciding what not to do is as important as deciding what to do.”
What does it mean to delegate?
The Oxford Dictionary defines “Delegate” as:
“To give part of your work, power or authority to somebody in a lower position than you. To choose somebody to do something.”
That is, to give another person the authority to do what we would normally do ourselves. In practical business terms, it means assigning tasks to others in our business that we currently handle ourselves.
Many of us find it hard to delegate. Entrepreneurs, especially those running micro or small businesses, struggle even more. Before understanding how to delegate properly and the benefits of learning to do so, let’s analyze the reasons why this is such a difficult activity for so many entrepreneurs.
Why is it hard for us to delegate?
There are three main reasons why people don’t delegate. You might identify with one, two, or even all three of them:
We feel like experts. We started out on our own and got used to handling most tasks directly. Along the way, we developed our own way of doing things and a quality standard we’re comfortable with. As a result, we tend to feel like experts in what we’ve built and think that no one else can do it the same way.
We don’t want to lose control. Some of us are naturally more controlling. Delegating tasks to others means letting go of some control, and this possible loss of control causes stress and anxiety. We sometimes prefer the stress of overwork to the stress of trusting someone else to handle things and ease our burden.
We think we don’t have time to train others. When faced with the choice of doing something ourselves or assigning it to someone else, we often consider that initially, the task will take longer—because it requires knowledge transfer and explanation. So, we assume that doing it ourselves will be faster.
All three reasons are completely valid. In fact, they’re often justified. However, if we always rely on them, deep down we are limiting the growth and development possibilities of our business.
Why is it necessary to learn to delegate?
It’s very simple:
Our capacity to work has limits.
The first and most obvious is the time limit. There are only 24 hours in a day, and we need to dedicate some of that time to sleeping, eating, and other non-business-related tasks. So, the time we have available for our business is limited. And there’s nothing we can do to change that reality. If we don’t delegate, there’s a hard limit—set by time—on what we can personally do.
Another limit is fatigue. Even if we minimize time spent on essential activities outside of our business (eating, sleeping, hygiene), at some point our body and/or mind will demand a break. If we ignore that, we risk getting sick or facing serious complications.
A third limit is our own skills. No matter how capable we are, nobody is good at everything. There are probably many tasks in our business where others are more qualified.
Don’t limit yourself—multiply yourself
So, if we don’t delegate, there will come a time when our business hits a growth ceiling because we don’t have enough time, we’re too tired, or we don’t know how to do more.
While not delegating limits us, learning to delegate properly multiplies us. It allows us to extend our time, physical capacity, and intellectual capacity through the time, physical capacity, and intellectual capacity of others.
To grow and move forward in a business, you have to delegate. There’s no other option.
Of course, it’s not mandatory. Staying small is a valid choice. (There’s an excellent book by Paul Jarvis, titled Company of One, which promotes this very philosophy of running a business as a single person.) That’s fine—as long as that business size allows you to meet your economic expectations. But if you want to produce and earn more, you can’t do it all by yourself.
What should you delegate?
Not every task is delegable. Defining what to delegate is specific to each entrepreneur and each business.
You can delegate to partners, employees, collaborators, or subcontractors. When you delegate to partners, you’re transferring responsibilities to someone who shares your level of accountability. When you delegate to employees or collaborators, you’re sharing responsibilities with people committed to your business. When you delegate to subcontractors, you’re assigning work to external individuals or companies whose mission aligns with the result you’re seeking.
To delegate well, you must develop systems and procedures before transferring tasks. This allows more control and lets you delegate progressively—perhaps at first only part of a full process. Delegating in stages consolidates processes and reduces the risk of failure.
1. Delegate first what is automatable and basic
Any repetitive task, or one with minimal decision-making involved, is easier to delegate and a good place to start. Systematize your processes and hand over those repetitive or automatable parts. This way, you multiply your time.
2. Delegate what you’re not great at
Even if you feel like an expert, there are surely areas where you're less proficient. For some, it’s accounting; for others, sales or digital marketing. This depends on your background, skills, and type of business. Identify your weak areas and consider delegating them to someone more skilled. This not only multiplies your time—it likely improves results, since an expert will do it better or more efficiently (cheaper and faster).
3. Delegate what’s cheaper for others to do
Your time as the person with the most responsibility in your business is very valuable—probably the most valuable time in your company. Don’t waste it on tasks someone else could do for much less than what your own hour is worth. Entrepreneurs often don’t realize the cost of their own time in the processes they handle. If your time is more expensive than someone else’s and the task can be done by them, don’t hesitate—delegate.
4. Delegate what you don’t like doing
There are surely tasks you’re good at but don’t enjoy—and others might enjoy them. Delegate those tasks first. That will positively impact your mental and emotional well-being and ultimately benefit your business.
There will be tasks you’ll never want to delegate.
Because you’re truly gifted at doing them and the result will be better if you do it yourself. Or because you enjoy them so much that they’re essential to your entrepreneurial experience. If a task is vital to how you experience your business, reserve it for yourself. You might share it with others, but never give it up completely. That’s okay. What keeps you motivated positively impacts your business's success.
How to delegate successfully?
The two key words to learn to delegate successfully are: Trust and Follow-up.
You must understand that there’s more than one way to do things well. The important thing is achieving the desired result. Accept that the outcome matters more than the process. Other people may follow different procedures. As long as the outcome is equivalent (or better) in terms of quality, cost, and time, you must be open to new ways of doing things.
You can’t delegate and then hover over others controlling every step. But you also can’t delegate and then forget about it. Let others carry out the task and make sure the outcome is up to standard. You must follow up and conduct quality checks to ensure objectives are met.
Key steps to delegate effectively:
Develop systems that are replicable.
Clearly communicate the desired outcome.
Train thoroughly and provide all necessary information.
Rely on the strengths of your team.
Let go of micromanagement.
Be open to suggestions and innovation.
Do follow-up.
Conduct quality control.
Offer constructive correction.
Give constructive feedback at the end to improve the next attempt.
Often, to learn to delegate, you have to be willing to sacrifice time or quality in the short term. Be willing to train, train, and train again. Accept the possibility of mistakes and adjustments. This is how you gain long-term benefits.
Become a mentor to the people you wish to delegate tasks to.
What benefits does learning to delegate properly bring to your business?
The ultimate benefit must always be for the business. Delegating should improve the quality and efficiency of your products and services over the medium term. It also enables growth and expansion.
Here are the main benefits of learning to delegate well:
You expand your talent pool.
You increase your capacity to generate new business and develop strategy.
You motivate your team.
You improve productivity.
You enhance everyone’s skills.
You save by using time and resources more efficiently.
You distribute responsibilities.
You free up time to expand your business or enrich your personal life.
The big mistake: Wanting to be indispensable
The best manager is the one who becomes dispensable and allows the business to run perfectly without hovering over operations constantly.
When you learn to delegate properly, you multiply yourself and improve your efforts and results through the efforts and results of other specialized, committed, and capable professionals. And when you successfully delegate entirely, you become dispensable—you remove yourself from the day-to-day needs of the business. That’s when your business takes on a life of its own and can thrive for many more years than you are willing or able to work.
