Here’s a sticky subject…
“I got it.”
“Why bother letting so-and-so do it? I’ll only wind up doing it over again myself.”
“Just give it to me – I’ll do it.”
And here’s my favorite…
“I have to do everything!”
How many times have you heard these lines?
How many times have you said them yourself?
Small, mini, and micro-business owners have all been down this road – you hire help or you accept help from well-meaning friends and relatives and then you instantly know that it was a wrong decision. Delegating is one of the biggest stumbling blocks for businesses of all sizes but it affects these smaller businesses in ways we, as business owners, are afraid to admit.
Time is money and sometimes not delegating comes down to the belief that it is cheaper for you as an owner to do something. I worked for an employer who never saw the labor costs involved in each task because “he’s not hourly, he gets a set salary”. Time is money! Each person in the organization COSTS YOU MONEY – including (and here is the earth-shattering one) the owner!
When you think that it will save you time and money, it might just do that – whatever the task is. But whatever takes the owner away from going out and making connections and sales to bring in revenue, that costs the business DOUBLE the money!!! That’s why that saying “Work on your business, not in your business” is heard so often. Your primary job as a business owner is to keep the business going – not just in the day-to-day tasking of jobs but primarily in cultivating those relationships to bring in more opportunities and money.
So the next time you are ready to pull something out of someone’s hands or not give them a task at all, the next time that you react and say, “I’ll do it myself”, or the very next time you think your job is to restock inventory because you can do it faster and more efficiently, remember these things:
- Your distracted days will not able you to be as efficient as someone who has been given a defined task and a deadline to complete it. No matter what you might think.
- Doing everything yourself leads to disinterest, cutting corners, and burn-out.
- You know your business like no one else – you built it! Who better than to promote it and have people appreciate what you can do for them?
- Keeping opportunities flowing allows for better planning, closer attention to customer service, staff that relies on there being work, and, oh yeah, that all-important thing going – CASH FLOW!
And the best part of all, not thinking or doing everything yourself brings peace of mind to each day and allows for time away from your business as well. An owner who delegates tends to have more of everything – time, sanity, and profit!
As a Business Coach, Jane helps women powerfully transform their businesses (as entrepreneurs, coaches, and speakers) by recognizing their value, defining ideal clients & their signature offers, creating a more profitable business through authentic marketing and efficient operations. Together we make your bottom line the high point of your business! Jane is the NY Global Business Connector for Women Speakers Association, connecting women with resources to help them in their role as a “Message Maker” – clarifying their message or brand, increasing their visibility, and growing their audience. You can read more of Jane’s writings at BrainzMagazine.com, in her upcoming collaborative book, Voices of the 21st Century: Resilient Women Who Rise, or at janeparmel.com for more information.
