Here’s the takeaway: If you want to grow, you have to learn to let go.
When a business owner starts their business, there’s often only one person. This means that they live in the place where they have to do everything for the business: Stuff they love, stuff they hate, all of it. From chief bottle washer to sales, when we start we have to be jack of all trades.
The challenge is that as business owners, insecure as we can be, we think we know how we would and can do everything. The truth is, many of us can, but it doesn’t mean we should. When we delegate things away, this doesn’t mean that other people are going to do that task in the wrong way, but the way they do it might be different than ours. We know how comfortable we are with doing things our way, but embracing that others will get things done is the only way we will truly grow. The problem is that when we can’t let go of tasks, even tasks, we hate to do, we become the inhibiting factor to our own business’s growth.
When I work with businesses on Delegating and Elevating, the intention is to realize that there are other people who are capable and when we find the right people, will love doing those things much more then we will, even if it’s done a little bit differently. Nobody can do everything. So, if we can find people that will let business owners focus on how they can really could be great, delegating will elevate them to spend that time on their God-given talents.
Here’s an example: I am pretty dyslexic, especially with numbers. If I really bear down and focus, I can do a marginal job with IRS forms and bookkeeping. But if I’m honest with myself, I suck at keeping the monthly books and government forms. Don’t get me wrong, I always know what is in my accounts. I have a really good idea where things sit +/-5%, and I am ok with that. My accountant is not okay with +/-5%. Therefore, I have wonderful bookkeepers that save my ass every month. They love doing the books (this baffles me) and I am truly fortunate to have them. In this specific case, I had to do it, but I don’t like it. Fortunately for me, I suck at it and this forced me to find people I could delegate to. I built systems of checks and balances to make everything run smoothly. Everyone wins.
There are four categories in the Delegate and Elevate tool.
- You love it and you’re great at it.
- You like it and you’re good at it.
- It’s okay, and you’re okay at it.
- You kinda hate it, and you suck at it.
If you’re in a job where everything you do is something you don’t like, PLEASE be honest with yourself, you are not happy and you should quit, because you hate it. This doesn’t mean the job sucks, it simply means it sucks for you.. The ultimate goal is to ensure that everything you do is stuff you love or like, because that’s how you’re going to be happy. The ultimate goal is to reach the section where you love it and you’re great at it. That’s where extraordinary self-actualization lives.
If you can’t do your own books and you’re terrible at scheduling or get irritated with technology, find someone who loves it and is great at those things. It will let you open up time to spend on your own God-given talents and passions.
If you need help delegating and elevating within your own organization, reach out anytime and I’d be happy to help. Check back for next week’s blog on how to use an accountability charge to maximize your delegation.
