People rarely go into business because they want to manage others. With few exceptions, management becomes necessary because the business itself has grown so successfully. And because the core business of the enterprise is not management, many entrepreneurs discover that when they do need to do it, they don’t know how. The result is that they find their time and energy is swallowed up doing something that has nothing to do with why they opened their doors in the first place. Ironically, the harder they try to extricate themselves, the more embroiled they become. Like quicksand, they seem to sink deeper and deeper into the mire.

If you’re in this situation, then read on. There’s hope for you. You will have to change the way you think, but in so doing, you’ll be able to get back to the work that you wanted to do all along.

Probably the single biggest obstacle to effective delegation is perfectionism; and it’s not where you think it is. We’re not talking about being the perfect manager; instead we’re referring to the propensity to obtain perfect results from the things you have to delegate.

You see, the reason that there are managerial bottlenecks in your business is because you’re unwilling to hand over tasks you don’t have time to do to people who probably won’t do it as well as you would. But that misses the point. While there’s nothing wrong with high standards, it’s an unnecessary waste of time and resources to insist on the highest level of quality in everything. Not all things are of equal value. Your customers already know that, even if you don’t.  You have to focus on what you do best and, if you’re an entrepreneur, your expertise lies in delivering extraordinary customer value.

So that means that you have to ask yourself what it is that you do better than anyone else. And it doesn’t matter whether you’re a one-man-band or work in a multi-national. The question is, what do you do that delivers the most value? What generates the most revenue? That’s your core business. The rest someone else can do. Let them. Delegate it. And do so recognizing that it won’t be perfect. But also remember that it doesn’t matter.

There’s a second problem that can inhibit effective delegation, and that’s pride. This can manifest itself in many ways; but there’s one way in particular that is rarely mentioned. That is in the need for help that is above your current role.

When we think of delegation, we assume that various tasks will be “handed down”; that you’ll be at the top of the organization chart, and everyone else will be below you. But what if the value that you provided better than anyone else was in the middle? Would you be willing to hire someone that, in effect, would tell you what to do? Your unwillingness to seriously consider this possibility is what pride is all about.

There are a couple of solutions to this problem, and the one you choose is really a matter of preference.

The first one is to hire someone for the express purpose of managing. This is where your pride could be offended. You may think that you already know how to do everything and that the current managerial problems will sort themselves out. History is not on your side.  In the last half of the 19^th century, the American railroad companies found that they, too, lacked the managerial skills they needed. The people who had started and grown those organizations were engineers; but it was their success that created a need for professional managers. In fact, it’s why we have them today. It’s why businesses hire managing directors and CEOs. Non-executive directors perform a similar function, but to a lesser extent.

A second option is to get help from a management coach. A coach can help you to identify the causes of your bottlenecks and then to tailor a solution that exactly matches your needs. That person can help you to monitor work flow and to advise you on how to modify your strategies so that you can improve your results. The cost of a coach is far less than that of a professional manager.

The bottom line is that if you love to manage people, then get a coach who can help you to do it more effectively; but if you want to focus on the business that you originally started, hire someone to fill that role.

If you'd like to discuss matters further on effectively delegating work, contact us today.