The most common mistake entrepreneurs make when delegating (& what to do about it)
It’s no big secret that something a LOT of business owners and entrepreneurs struggle with is delegation and outsourcing.
You see, there’s plenty of things about delegating that go against our natural instincts -- things like being unwilling to “let go” or lose control, fear that the job won’t get done right, worries about how much extra time and money it’ll take if you pass along the task to someone else…..
And these are all totally fair concerns. Anyone who’s delegated before will have likely heard (or unfortunately ended up in) a delegation horror story or two.
Yet, despite that internal monologue you have been telling yourself to just “ if I want it done right, I have to do it myself” delegation can be a major game-changer.
Truly, learning how to delegate properly and outsource undesirable tasks has been one of the MOST important things I’ve ever done help myself and my clients grow our businesses, boost our productivity, and increase our own overall happiness (since it lets me follow one of my favorite pieces of advice: work in your zone, eliminate the rest).
So, in honor of the new year (or whenever you are reading this), we’re going to talk about WHY so many people are awful at delegation and the easy 4-level decision tree model for delegation you can use to make it work.
What REALLY holds back people from delegating successfully
Part of what makes delegation tricky is that it seems risky..
There’s risks like:
- Choosing the right person to delegate to
- Finding affordable costs and timelines
- Being able to define the task needed clearly enough that someone else can actually do it
But what really is the obstacle here? What really holds entrepreneurs back from delegating successfully?
We’ve all heard the phrase “you’re your own worst enemy,” right? Well, this is 110% true when it comes to business owners and entrepreneurs who try to delegate. By getting in their own way, they ultimately end up making their own lives (and the lives of the person they are delegating or outsourcing to) far more painful or stressful than they need to be.
Here’s how most business owners and entrepreneurs “get in their own way” when delegating: by forgetting to communicate the decision-making authority the person they delegate to has.
Decision-making authority is just what it sounds like: it’s the amount of authority you give the person you delegate to, to make decisions with or without your input.
Allow me to explain this concept (and how you can use it in a practical way when you delegate) à la a tree and your business.
For the sake of this example, our tree has 4 parts: the leaves, the branches, the trunk, and the roots.
At the core of your business are the roots -- things that are at the very foundation of what you do (like what type of business you are in or what product line you offer). If the roots were to be damaged or changed significantly, the overall health and existence of your tree would be at stake.
On the opposite end of the spectrum are the leaves of your business -- small things that, though they still play a part in the overall business scheme, aren’t “life or death” (like the color scheme of your website). If your tree were to lose a bunch of leaves, it’s not a big deal. They’d grow back and the tree would still be there.
Your business branches and trunk fall somewhere in the middle (with business branches being more essential than the leaves, and the trunk being less essential than the roots).
How you can use a tree to delegate better in 3 easy steps
As we said before, the key to successful delegation is determining the level of decision-making authority you give the people you delegate to.
Here’s how you do that in 3 easy steps.
Step #1: Start thinking about your business and determine the decisions that need to be made in each level.
Step #2: Define each level and have a policy for how to respond.
To simplify things, I have a predetermined definition and response policy for each decision level.
Here are what mine look like (obviously, feel free to adapt this however makes sense for you and your business) --
Definition and policy for LEAF DECISIONS
For small things that will NOT make or break my business and can be easily changed later on, I give others 100% authority to go ahead and make the decisions themselves.
Truthfully, I don’t even want to know about these decisions and find it refreshing to leave them completely in someone else's’ hands.
Example: I allow my web designer to choose the color of my call-to-action buttons without consulting me
Definition and policy for BRANCH DECISIONS
For things that are slightly more important to the overall health of the tree and business, I’m a little more careful about the authority I give others to make decisions.
At this level, I’m usually happy with people going ahead and making decisions without asking me each time, but I like to have monthly or bi-weekly reports just to know what’s going on. Or, depending on the type of task, I might ask them to check in with a manager instead of me (then, it’s still off my plate but I know someone I trust is taking care of it).
Example: I allow a freelance ad specialist to run Google ads and test different variations and bids based on their own decisions and within the given budget. I just request they send me a spreadsheet of what’s been done monthly.
Definition and policy for TRUNK DECISIONS
These decisions are getting closer to my business’s roots, so as the business owner I want to be more involved.
Which means I would probably only entrust trunk-level things to senior-level contractors or staff, or people who’ve worked with me for a long time. In this case, I appreciate their recommendations and have them take the steps to fulfill the decision, but I’m directly involved.
Example: I allow a virtual assistant who’s worked with me for several years to interview potential new hires and tell me who they think is best. But I still do the final interview before the decision is made.
Definition and policy for ROOT DECISIONS
As root decisions are those at the core of my business, they are not things I would delegate or attempt to outsource. I would not, however, hesitate in asking someone I trust what they think or for advice.
Example: I ask my mentor, coach, or other advisors what they think about expanding into a new product line, but still ultimately make the decision myself.
Step #3: Share this tree model with the person you are delegating to or your team as a whole
When I start to work with someone new (whether they are hired for a more specific task like copywriting or as a general assistant), I share this model with them. Then, I tell them where they fit in.
Here’s an example:
“Sam, go ahead and make those leaf decisions yourself...just check with your manager if you find anything that you think is a branch decision. Then, offer me monthly reports on any branch-level things you’re working on.”
When it comes to delegating and outsourcing, don’t let yourself become “your own worst enemy”! Try out the 4-level decision tree for delegation to help you relinquish some of that control without losing your mind. Delegating leaf level tasks is a great place to start.
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