5 Signs You Are Failing to Delegate
Small business owners know how important it is to have multiple skills and, the ability to delegate some of the many tasks you have on your plate is chief among those skills. The ability to delegate is not simply the act of turning to an employee and ordering him to complete a specific task. Successful delegation requires you to invest the time and the resources necessary to ensure your staff is well-trained and prepared to assume increasing responsibilities. This is the only way you can be certain that delegated tasks are accomplished correctly and in the shortest possible time. This brings us to the first sign that you are failing to delegate.
# 1) Lack of Preparation
A small business owner/entrepreneur …show more content…
#2) Unwilling to Give Up Control
The very attributes that make you a successful entrepreneur and small business owner also counter your ability to delegate. You have confidence and pride, both of which make it difficult for you to surrender control. You are a poster boy for the adage, “if you want something done right, you have to do it yourself”. You cannot make the best use of your skills if you try to do everything on your own. Until you learn to trust subordinates to accomplish tasks on their own, you will fail to delegate.
Takeaway: Many small business owners and entrepreneurs suffer from this syndrome. As we’ve said, the best way to overcome this is to train your staff. Not only do you increase their confidence, you increase your own confidence in them. This makes delegating much easier.
#3) Frequently Feeling Tired and …show more content…
Equally important: the business suffers as you grow increasingly tired and frustrated.
#4) Family Discord
Relationship issues can frequently be traced to work. Excess hours, frustration and tensions at work can spill over into your personal life. Problems at home can be a symptom that you are failing to delegate at work. Achieving an appropriate work/life balance is dependent, to a large degree, on your willingness and ability to delegate.
Takeaway: You aren’t the first entrepreneur or small business owner to have a tough time balancing work and family.
#5) Unhappy Customers
If customer complaints are on the rise, consider the possibility that your failure to delegate is part of the problem. Failing to delegate sufficient decision making authority to subordinates can delay the resolution of customer complaints and concerns. This necessarily results in customer discontent and eventually the loss of customers.
Takeaway: If you start losing customers because things are not getting done and/or customers concerns aren’t being resolved promptly, it is time to re-read points 1 through 4—before your business tanks
Small business owners know how important it is to have multiple skills and, the ability to delegate some of the many tasks you have on your plate is chief among those skills. The ability to delegate is not simply the act of turning to an employee and ordering him to complete a specific task. Successful delegation requires you to invest the time and the resources necessary to ensure your staff is well-trained and prepared to assume increasing responsibilities. This is the only way you can be certain that delegated tasks are accomplished correctly and in the shortest possible time. This brings us to the first sign that you are failing to delegate.
# 1) Lack of Preparation
A small business owner/entrepreneur …show more content…
#2) Unwilling to Give Up Control
The very attributes that make you a successful entrepreneur and small business owner also counter your ability to delegate. You have confidence and pride, both of which make it difficult for you to surrender control. You are a poster boy for the adage, “if you want something done right, you have to do it yourself”. You cannot make the best use of your skills if you try to do everything on your own. Until you learn to trust subordinates to accomplish tasks on their own, you will fail to delegate.
Takeaway: Many small business owners and entrepreneurs suffer from this syndrome. As we’ve said, the best way to overcome this is to train your staff. Not only do you increase their confidence, you increase your own confidence in them. This makes delegating much easier.
#3) Frequently Feeling Tired and …show more content…
Equally important: the business suffers as you grow increasingly tired and frustrated.
#4) Family Discord
Relationship issues can frequently be traced to work. Excess hours, frustration and tensions at work can spill over into your personal life. Problems at home can be a symptom that you are failing to delegate at work. Achieving an appropriate work/life balance is dependent, to a large degree, on your willingness and ability to delegate.
Takeaway: You aren’t the first entrepreneur or small business owner to have a tough time balancing work and family.
#5) Unhappy Customers
If customer complaints are on the rise, consider the possibility that your failure to delegate is part of the problem. Failing to delegate sufficient decision making authority to subordinates can delay the resolution of customer complaints and concerns. This necessarily results in customer discontent and eventually the loss of customers.
Takeaway: If you start losing customers because things are not getting done and/or customers concerns aren’t being resolved promptly, it is time to re-read points 1 through 4—before your business tanks