Management Topics
IN THIS LESSON
There are three key reasons why...
…small business people say they can't delegate.
Some small business owners are proud of the fact that they do everything for their businesses themselves. But it doesn't always make business sense to be a one-person operation. In fact, you should delegate as much work as you possibly can if you want your business to thrive. If you don't, chances are you'll always be short on time, long on responsibilities, and standing still in business.
There are three key reasons why small business people say they can't delegate. Some common excuses are: money, time, and quality. Watch the SME Toolkit video to find out why they don't hold water. Then create a worksheet to help you figure out what responsibilities you can delegate.
Video Transcript:
Learning to delegate. Some small business owners are proud of the fact that they do everything for their businesses themselves. If you don't delegate, chances are you'll always be short on time, long on responsibilities, and standing still in business. There are three key reasons why small business people say they can't delegate. Number one is money.
It's short sighted to avoid delegation because of the financial investment it requires. If you're a consultant who charges a 100 naira per hour, should you be using your time to stuff envelopes? Use the time you free up from delegating to find new business. This way, you'll still be making some money on the tasks you contract out and you'll be making money on the new work too. Two.
Time. Not having the time to train someone is often a smokescreen for a fear of giving up control. If this is your rationale, write down all your tasks and how long it will take to teach someone to take care of them for you. Then choose one or two jobs that are the easiest to farm out and start with them. Doing this will gradually teach you to let go of routine responsibilities.
Number three is quality. This is the oldest excuse in the book. It's probably also true but it's not a reason to avoid delegating. A person you hire may not do something as well as you can but think about the job this person can do for you once he or she is trained. If you determine that only you can complete certain tasks perfectly, you have two choices.
Save them for yourself and delegate other tasks or settle for having something done well instead of perfectly. Lots of times, a very good job is sufficient.