Think Big For Effective Delegation

As a small business owner, you may fall into the same trap as I did in the past, and sometimes still do. Writing about it helps me stay on track, too.

It’s such a relief to find someone who loves to do the important things that you hate doing or don’t have time to do, that you might want to just walk away from while assuming that it will all get done just as you hoped.

Well, think again. And think big. Think like a corporate CEO. Effective delegation requires systems and procedures, reports and follow up, not just verbal communication.

The one thing that you cannot delegate is your own responsibility to lead your company. That means that while you delegate tasks and responsibilities, the buck still stops with you. You are the ultimate judge of whether the values of the company are being upheld through your delegations as well as your own actions.

Here are some simple steps to make delegation more effective and limit the time it takes to fulfill your own obligations in the process:

Be Clear About Your Expectations. What are the deliverables you expect? Do you already have systems in place that must be adopted, or will you require the employee to create them? What types of reports will be required to track progress and measure results?

Get Your Systems and Procedures in Writing. If you’ve been doing the work yourself up to now, you likely have most of the processes memorized. Have a planning session with your employee where you do a mind dump and walk through each process with the employee. Have the employee take notes, then ask him/her to draft the procedures into documents. Set a meeting date to review, edit and approve the processes and review the work already completed by that time. Insist on receiving these drafts by email in advance so you can review and make notes prior to the meeting. Set a time limit for the meeting.

Set Regular Dates for Progress Reports and Meetings. Once the processes are clearly in place, and the employee or contractor is producing the results you want, set regular meeting dates for progress reviews. Grant the freedom to make improvements to the system as the employee sees fit. These meetings are your opportunity to be updated.

Create an Agenda for Each Meeting. Identify the purpose of the meeting. List the items to be discussed, and set a time limit for the meeting.

Have Minutes Prepared for Each Meeting. This is your action list for decisions made during the meeting. Your minutes include who was in attendance, the items on the original agenda and any actions to be taken as well as who is responsible to take those actions. They also include new items that arose during the meeting.

Just like a corporate exec. Ready to take your business to the next level.