One of the hardest parts about delegating tasks to others, is giving up control.
I recognize the benefits of outsourcing work, delegating tasks, and leveraging subcontractors.
- It’s obvious that there are tasks that I should not be doing at my billable rate.
- It’s obvious that there are tasks that others are better suited for. (*cough* Finance)
- It’s obvious that there are not enough hours for me to do everything on my own.
Successful delegation is a product of the management of two interrelated components: control and trust
To delegate, one must yield control over something. If I’m going to micro-manage the delegated task, I may as well do it myself, which defeats the entire purpose of delegation. I have to accept, especially in the circumstance where someone is better suited for a task than me, that I am yielding control.
The key to this struggle is trust.
In order to yield control without anxiety, I need to be able to trust the person that I’m handing the task over to.
- I don’t fret when my financial controller manages our books.
- I don’t fret when my SEO partner conducts keyword research.
- I don’t fret when my attorney revises our professional services agreement.
Therefore, I would contend that if you are having trouble delegating, you are having trouble trusting.
There are two solutions in my eyes:
- Set expectations and over-communicate: Make sure no stone is left unturned. Get it all out so no doubt remains about the clarity of the assignment.
- Find new people: Sometimes you just don’t have the right person for the job. There’s no harm in finding the person you trust. Just be careful that you aren’t getting rid of good people because of your own trust issues.