One of the discernible traits of entrepreneurs is their need to control things. Managing outcomes in business ownership helps to mitigate risk, and determine how to grow the business and expand. On the good side, the controlling type of nature help to propel businesses forward, create a future and vision for the product, and be able to describe it to others in defined goals.
Yet most entrepreneurs have a difficult time delegating tasks, as most of them still reside in their heads.
An entrepreneur may have the best of intentions to give his employees autonomy, but the risk and uncertainty can cause anxiety, which leads to a tighter hold, and even micromanaging of all of the tasks required.
And it’s not hard to see why. Delegating a task involves a lot of hard work to relay the information how you want something done. The real issue is trust. Entrepreneurs subscribe to the belief that they can do something better. It is possible they may be able to do it better based on their sheer will, passion, and drive, however, it is detrimental for them to do this. Entrepreneurs are leaders. Their focus should be on the big picture, the future, and how to get there. Spending too much time on the day to day tasks, takes them away from that. They will continue to operate with a deficit in the future, if they are not able to delegate tasks, and trust that people may get it wrong, but that they have trained, mentored, or will continue to assist on a infrequent and occasional basis.
Passing on information is also time consuming, so hiring the right people from the get go will go a long way in feeling comfortable enough with sharing your goals, passion, and ideas.
Take the time to discuss with your employees the task, how the employee plans to tackle it, and how you will collude. Remind them that you trust that they will do a great job, and then allow them the autonomy to do it. Be open for questions, and follow up infrequently. Schedule the follow ups in your own calendar to ensure you are not micromanaging on a day to day basis.
Ultimately, there is a fear of mistakes, and that there will be consequences. However, if you can understand that mistakes may happen, and that you trust you have hired a team that is capable, and able to handle the challenges, then you have to work hard at letting go. Remind yourself of what your main purpose is on the team as well.
When you can effectively manage this cycle, you can focus on the important tasks for you. Organizations with good leaders that are great at delegating will see their businesses grow, because their strengths are utilized on the things that matter, propelling their business forward, instead of the daily day to day management. Although important, they are maintaining, while your goal is to make leaps and bounds.
Ready to hire employees and be your own entrepreneur? Contact us at FRESH today, and we’ll help you get started.
