Your top delegation FAQs answered (+ a new Dashboard)

Until you learn to delegate, you will be personally responsible for everything in your business.

This means that if your business grows, you will continue to get stretched more thinly until you run out of time.

Delegation is the critical step to free yourself from what’s already working in your business to explore what is next for growing your business.

We’re not entrepreneurs until we delegate.

I've created a companion to my E-book on Delegation, it's a Notion "Delegation Dashboard" that has templates to use while you use the material from the book to get organized and finally delegate.

Today, I wanted to share some of the most FAQ's that I get about delegation....

How do I know when it's time to delegate a task?

A good rule of thumb is any time you find yourself repeating tasks frequently at a profit, you have the opportunity to delegate it to someone else.

Remember not to fall into the trap of “But only I can do ____.”

This mindset is often your biggest obstacle!

How do I choose the right person or team to delegate a task to?

The best rule of thumb is to delegate to someone who already knows how, and successfully has done the type of task you’re looking for.

You can also help people learn on the job, as many creative and innovative projects are done for the first time, in which case you want to look for someone who you feel you can trust to “figure it out” assuming you give them the support they need.

You don’t want to put someone in over their heads, it’s not good for you, them, or the business!

What level of autonomy should I give when delegating a task?

At first, it’s best to have more communication up-front with who you’re working with for a better feedback loop.

The biggest mistake is to leave too much time between when you set up a project or task, and when you check in for when it’s ready.

Failure = realizing too late that things weren't done, or done well.

Start by checking in early and often, and then as trust builds, over time you can create more and more autonomous space.

How can I ensure that the delegated task is completed on time and to my standards?

This is covered in the E-Book and dashboard, and the key idea is that the more clear you are up-front on what you want, the easier it will be to delegate, set standards, and achieve the outcome you want.

If you aren’t clear, it’s likely that you, and who you are working with, will both be frustrated by the process.

What are some ways to motivate and empower the person or team I delegate tasks to?

Simply asking this question itself is a sign that you’re on the right track. In this method of delegation, the entire purpose is to become a leader (setting the vision) and then a support (helping unblock who you work with), rather than having to take on the work yourself.

Empowerment comes from…

• Creating a clear vision for mutual success.
• Giving the person space to be creative and do great work.
• Providing full support, and course-correction where needed.
• Reviewing your mutual process to improve it over time.

How do I measure the success of delegation and make adjustments when necessary?

The first thing you should do in any project is to define success so that you know what you’re measuring.

See the Success List chapter in my book and the dashboard.

A list of the common mistakes entrepreneurs make when delegating:

​

1. Micromanaging because of lack of clarity up front of what you want.
2. Changing the targets too frequently without allowing someone to ship the work they create.
3. Setting too big of targets and not chunking them down into something smaller.
4. Hiring the wrong person for the job.
5. Hiring the wrong person for the job and recognizing it too slowly.
6. Assuming people can read your mind, not speaking up to communicate what you need.
7. Delaying delegation because we think “we can do it all on our own.”
8. Hiring someone great but not letting them be creative and come up with solutions.

Essentially this all comes down to:

• Lack of clarity.
• Lack of communication.

How can I create a culture of delegation within my team or company?

I would encourage you to share this same system with your team. When you empower others to delegate, you create an exponential effect. You allow people to focus on what they do best and where they have the most leverage. And, you make your own job easier as great people grow and delegate.

BONUS: A simple framework for diagnosing potential problems.

When you're stuck on how someone is doing, ask yourself where this person sits in this framework. Identifying where they are here helps you get a sense about what might need to be done to correct any issues that are arising.

​Any questions about Delegation?

Let me know!

Or pick up the E-Book & Delegation Dashboard.