How to Overcome Your Fear of Delegating Work.

When you take an idea and grow it large enough to turn it into a business, it’s natural to be reluctant about delegating work. You want the best for your company and you’re not very sure that other people will quite understand your vision the way that you do.

But your quality of life has dwindled down, the responsibilities of a business owner weigh heavily on your shoulders. You see your family and loved ones a lot less than you’d like and you feel you’ve lost control of other parts of your life.

The Risk of Delegation

The first step is to think about what exactly you’re scared of in delegation. What are the barriers that are preventing you from sharing the workload?

Not Enough Time

You already have enough work as it is and you simply do not have time to set aside to teach what you already know to other people. You might think that at that moment it’d be much easier for you to complete your tasks, but in the long run, it’ll be you that will be overwhelmed with so many tasks.

You Know Best

Maybe you feel that no one will give you the same quality output as you— after all, it’s your own business. But with time, skills are easily attainable by others, you just have to find the people that have the right mindset and willingness to learn.

You Enjoy the Tasks

It’s possible that you really do enjoy the smaller tasks. However, as a business owner, you need to be thinking about “the bigger picture.” As a leader, you should be coaching people to do the recurring tasks the way you prefer it.

The Sacrifices of Not Delegating

While it is understandably difficult at first, it is important and beneficial to you and your business that you learn how to hire people that will complement and help you grow your business into what you envision it to be.

Think about what you sacrifice when you don’t delegate. Yes, you are able to oversee the entire business, but you have to ask yourself: to what expense?

Losing Time with Family and Loved Ones

There are only 24 hours a day which means taking on several tasks also means you will have to give up time with the people you love to be able to accomplish these tasks. Think about your priorities and if your business is truly at the top of it all. Most times, you’ve just gotten carried away and need to step back and reassess what quality of life means to you.

You Are Constantly Stressed and Feel Overworked

Owning a business will have its inevitable level of stress, but if it’s affecting the way you think and live the other aspects of your life, you might want to rethink the way you are running your business. Burning out is the last thing you want— pushing it too far can even result in serious health problems in the long run.

You Don’t Trust Your Employees

You have to remember that you are not only a business owner but a leader now as well. And a part of being a good leader is to be able to trust the people that work under you. Beyond that, you also have to be confident in your coaching skills and have faith that you’ve chosen the right staff and effectively taught your processes. If you have a hard time with that or your staff isn’t competent enough— what does that say about your leadership?

Overcoming the Fear

Considering all these factors of why you’re reluctant about delegating and what could be the cause of the hesitation it’s a matter of taking the right steps into getting over the fear.

Learn to Let Go

After all that has been said and done, you have to learn how to let go of the menial tasks. It won’t be a hard task and it will definitely take some time, but you have to set aside time because it will help you in the long run.

Organize Your Tasks

Sit down and think about all the tasks that you’re currently doing, then differentiate which ones that cannot be accomplished without you from the ones that can be done by someone else. Be true to yourself in this step and keep in mind that you cannot do everything!

Hire the Right People

When finding people to delegate, make sure they have the right attitude for learning and growth. You need to find people that are flexible enough to adhere to the processes that you prefer and the ability to learn new concepts in an efficient manner. It is then you will be able to build trust in their capabilities.

Maintain Open Communication

Considering all these, it does not mean you will give tasks away and leave your staff to do them. You should still constantly keep an eye to ensure consistency in quality and processes.

Open communication also means being able to effectively instruct your staff and be open for questions and feedback.

All in all, owning a business is not a one-man job. You are the ideamaker and the decision maker, but you need a good set of people to help you build your vision because you simply cannot do everything.

You are not only learning how to own a business but how to be a leader as well. You can have an excellent vision for business but good leadership skills will be a part of the foundation of your success.