Building a Team Around Unique Abilities

Delegation is a crucial part of running any business. Why? Because no matter how competent you may be, wearing too many hats deprives you, your business, your clients and the universe of your very best work by watering it down with tasks that others can do even better than you can.

To decide what to delegate you must first determine what only you can do in your business and what uses your own unique abilities to the fullest possible. Within your vision and mission lies the secret to what that would likely be. In almost all cases, your highest and best use of your talents will fall into only three categories.

STEP ONE: Identify the three things only you can do. As an entrepreneur, it will always fall to you to be the strategist for your business no matter where you seek advice. Besides that, there will be up to three other responsibilities that are uniquely yours because of your outstanding ability in those areas.

For example, my own unique abilities lead me to focus on these three responsibilities in my business:

• Coaching business owners and facilitating team, partner and family business strategy meetings including the development of strategic business and marketing plans;
• Education-Based Marketing and Sales through the publishing of my Tuesday Tips email newsletter and blog, networking in person and on line, and generating new clients through the customization of programs deigned to use their unique abilities, opportunities and strengths: and
• Product development including the continuous improvement of programs, planning tools and processes based on feedback from my clients and prospects.

STEP TWO: Write down a list of all the things that need to be done to achieve success in your business, and that you would have to do yourself if you didn’t have any help. Extract from the list what only you can do using your unique abilities.

STEP THREE: From the remainder of the list create a general job description and the required experience and skill. That list would require a rare breed of generalist because of the wide variety of analysis, persuasion, support, organization, creativity, training, experience, natural talents and developed skills inherent in the needs of any business.

STEP FOUR: When interviewing, ask each candidate to select from the list the things that he or she loves to do and excels at. Then build a job description for each good candidate and only hire part –time and/or on contract if that description only warrants part-time. You may need two or more employees, contractors and/or virtual assistants to completely fill the bill. You will have to provide direction and management for that team, even if management is not your strong suit, at least until you identify, hire or promote a talented manager to help you.

Then watch your productivity soar!