Contrary to popular opinion (among soloprenuers), you can’t do everything yourself. However, solopreneurs often run into business management issues because they just don’t understand the importance of delegation or how to use it to your best advantage.
In a recent post, I outlined the benefits of effective delegation. Today, I’m going to talk about common delegation mistakes:
- Failure to provide leadership or set specific goals and expectations. It’s hard for anyone to do a good job when they’re not aware of what you’re trying to achieve. Simply giving someone a task without spelling out what outcome you’re looking for often confuses the issue and leaves too much to chance.
- Not matching the right person to the right job. Solopreneurs are famous for grabbing someone to “help them out” at the last minute, often resulting in having to do it over themselves. Careful pairing of skills, abilities style and experience can save you time and money, and ensure that the job you’re delegating gets done right the first time.
- Micromanaging and being inflexible. If you’re like most solopreneurs, you’re probably used to doing everything yourself, or find it difficult to give up control. Successful delegators let their team know what they’re trying to achieve and give them space to do the work in their own way.
- Failure to build in accountability. Simply giving someone a task and not holding them accountable is a recipe for disaster. Make sure that your team understand what’s expected of them, and develop specific measures to hold them accountable for their actions and results.
- Being inconsistent. No one likes to be told one thing one day and something else the next. The most effective delegators send a consistent message and get back consistent results.
- No confidence in the person you’re delegating to. This goes right back to pairing the right person to the right job. If you’ve done that and still lack confidence that they’ll do the right thing, ask them to give you a plan of attack first.
It’s hard to do everything yourself. If you’re tired of making delegation mistakes and want to hone your delegation and business management skills, click here to apply for a Business Sanity strategy session to learn how I can help.
Susan Martin, Business Coach
