There are so many things you can delegate. But what should you delegate first?
“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,” famously said John C. Maxwell.
I’ve spoken to hundreds of business owners. And there’s one thing I see time and time again: What they struggle with most, and what’s holding their business back from serious growth, is not a lack of business skills or a faulty product.
It’s that they’re simply not delegating enough.
Ever think about how different your business would be if the bulk of your time were spent on the big picture, instead of being overwhelmed by a million urgent tasks?
The truth is, delegation can be painful and frustrating. Especially when you’re used to doing everything yourself. And especially when you’ve tried delegating and it was a total disaster (we’ve all been there).
But 9 times out of 10, the disaster happened not because you delegated. But because you didn’t delegate correctly.
At the end of this post, I’ve included a link to my new free guide and workbook, “Mastering the Art of Delegation,” which explains in detail, step-by-step, the keys to successful delegation. But for now, know this:
The only way to scale your business is to give your employees ownership of everyday operational tasks and focus on doing what will most move your business forward.
“But where do I start?” This is one of the most common questions I get from business owners.
Here’s a Ptex Practical Pointer: Think about all of your daily tasks through the lens of two criteria: passion (how much you enjoy it) and competence (how good you are at it). Divide them into the following four categories.
1. Low passion, low competence: These are tasks you hate and you’re also not good at. You really dread these tasks. Delegate these tasks first
2. Low passion, high competence: These are tasks that you dislike, but you’re good at them. You may be hesitant to delegate these tasks, but they’re a drain on your time and energy. Delegate these second.
3. High passion, low competence: These are tasks you love doing but you’re not so good at. Here, you have a decision to make. Either they’re important enough that you invest the training to become good at them, or you let them go—Delegate these third.
4. High passion, high competence: These are tasks that you love doing, and that you’re good at. These are the activities that get you out of bed each morning, and the ones that bring the most value to your business. You probably DON’T want to delegate these tasks.
Thinking about your daily tasks in this way may just trigger a major breakthrough, helping you manage your time way more efficiently to achieve your long-term goals.
If you do this exercise, I’d love to hear if it helped you. Let me know in the comments or on Twitter @MenyHoffman.
*Special thanks to Michael Hyatt, for developing this tool. For more on delegation, visit his website: www.michaelhyatt.com.
P.S. Want more practical tips and advice on this topic? Click on the image below to download a free guide and workbook, “Mastering the Art of Delegation.” It walks you step-by-step through mastering delegation so that you can free up more time to focus on growing your business.
