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Save yourself the stress, just delegate

How is your current workload working for you? Does it make you feel overloaded and overwhelmed? Because if you do then let me save you from any more stress and introduce you to the art of delegation.

What is delegation?

According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, delegation is defined as “the act of giving someone authority or responsibility”. It is one of the most useful (but least used) time management tools a small business owner can have.

John C Maxwell, an American author once said, “If you want to do a few small things right, do them yourself. If you want to do great things and make a big impact, learn to delegate”.

Delegating is also an important part of running a business but is an art that can be very difficult to master. Although delegating is very time-consuming in the beginning, when properly mastered will allow you to train employees on to go and can increase employee morale. It will also take the weight off your shoulders by freeing up your time to do tasks that are important to you.

However, you have to be careful because poor delegation can have catastrophic effects. Regardless, do not let that discourage you from seeking to build upon the skill of delegating.

As Oprah Winfrey, a media executive, actress talk show host, television producer, and philanthropist once said, “Are we limiting our success by not mastering the art of delegation? It’s simply a matter of preparation meeting opportunity”.

With that, here are some of my tips for delegating:

Make sure you assess the person you are delegating the task to

Make sure that they have got the skillset that is needed. If they don’t then put in place a training program to give them the skillset that they need. Be sure to not delegate the task until you know that they’ve got the required skills or that they can acquire them through on-the-job training.

You must be absolutely clear about what the process is that you want to follow to do that task

If you do not make it clear to people how the job is to be done, they will invent their own way to do it and it may not be the way you want things done. You also need to be very clear on when the task needs to be done.

Finally, create a follow-up system

How are tasks going to be reported back to you? And how are you going to check to ensure that the task is being completed to your satisfaction? Create a follow-up system that will allow you to ensure that tasks are being completed in an appropriate manner and time, without micromanaging your employees.

As Ronald Reagan, the 40th U.S. President once said, “Surround yourself with the best people you can find, delegate authority, and don’t interfere as long as the policy you’ve decided upon is being carried out”.