Overcoming the Fear of Delegation

‘Why is delegation so hard for us?’ This usually comes down to 3 perspectives:

1. The delegation process takes too much time
2. The belief that delegation is wasted time
3. Self-improvement bias

Let’s break these down further:

1. Delegating takes too much time — This is a false perception that is fueled by emotions regarding delegation.
2. Delegation is wasted extra time — This is also false as long as you are using the time to delegate effectively (more on how to delegate below).
3. Self-improvement bias — Some managers don’t want to give up the “go-to” title for specific projects or tasks or feel they need to ‘perfect’ the project themselves by supervising all completed work. This mindset can result in micromanaging and cause a bottleneck in the workflow.

How to Delegate:

1. The End Goal: Explain the end goal to the individual you are delegating to. A bulleted list, main points about the pieces of the task/project, or details on where you need help are great ways to explain this.
2. Vulnerability: Explain how you feel about the task/project. Vulnerability is essential; this allows the individual working on the project to better gauge how you may react to the task and how you may share your recommendations.
3. Plan: Define the areas where you feel you can delegate pieces of or the whole task/project.
4. Ask questions of the individual you are delegating to: “Is this something you are confident in handling?” “What is confusing about what I am delegating?” “What do you need to be successful with this task?”
5. Set a deadline for the project/task: This will give both the managing individual and the individual handling the delegated task a clear end-date or time for the project/task. This allows both parties to communicate on the status of the delegated item.

Trust the process, delegation takes some time upfront, but the long-term rewards are effective productive workflows.

Experiences in Delegation: Will it make you want to live on an island?

Think of the worst thing that could happen from delegating the task or project. If the “worst-case” is something that could be career-ending or cause you to want to go live on an island, it’s best not to delegate it. If the task you’re considering delegating is a low-risk task that you don’t enjoy doing or is something that you regularly handle, delegate it and see how much time you save in your life.

The first thing I ever delegated was a social media graphic on Canva. I shared our brand guide, gave set parameters, and asked the assistant to run with it. This saved me 15 minutes in total (it usually would have taken me 20-minutes to complete the task, and I spent 5 minutes delegating it and answering questions). Start small and work your way up to the vital areas of your business.

I can now delegate other areas that have a more substantial impact on the company, but the trust-based relationship has grown to a point where I’m comfortable with this. I have learned that this is how companies effectively scale, through continued teaching, delegation and trust.

Delegation + Software = Productivity

Automations make a lot of workflows more straightforward, and software improves our access to automation. These are Project Management software that we recommend.

1. Asana — A platform that allows you to manage projects and tasks with automation and streamlined requests.
2. monday.com — A visual-focused platform that allows you to create a project workflow in seconds.
3. Trello — A cross between Asana and monday.com, Trello focuses on simplicity and a card-centric workflow.
4. Basecamp — This platform was built by a remote-first company, and it focuses on everything living in one place, from check-ins to message boards and to-do lists.

Are you ready to start your delegation journey? We challenge you to find three areas in your life that you can begin to delegate; whether it’s outsourcing your grocery shopping, getting help with your next trip, or getting all of your admin needs ‘squared away,’ delegation is the key to a productive lifestyle.

If you’re ready to get Squared Away, visit us at GoSquaredAway.com or grab some time for a call.

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