B038 - How to Delegate More - a podcast by Mary Baird-Wilcock

You may have listened to the episode where I chatted with author, Jennifer Dukes Lee. If you’ve not yet tuned in, download it now!

We talked all about how to let go of control.

I think what happens to most of us Type A, card-carrying control freaks, is that we start with good intentions.

When we launch a new business, it’s all about us doing the heavy lifting. It’s all about us making things happen. Taking the initiative. Taking the risk. Moving the needle along.

But what happens when things start to really take off? I hate the saying, ‘you’ve got as many hours in the day as Beyonce’ because like Beyonce, you can’t do it all. Well let me clarify… you can’t do it all, all by yourself.

Beyonce has got people. Loads of people. An agent, a social media team, a tour manager, a housekeeper, a nanny, a personal assistant, a personal trainer, a personal chef, a financial advisor, a bookkeeper, a vocal coach, a spiritual advisor, a nutritionist, a costume designer and I’m willing to bet, she’s also got a therapist or two.

A reason she is so great, is because of the team she has around her, helping her every step of the way.

While we don’t all necessarily have Beyonce’s bank account, we can learn a lesson or two from her success journey.

In the beginning, it took determination, repetition, grit, persistence and a little bit of luck as she did ALL the things. Then, as it started to take off in her work, I’m willing to bet she had to learn how to do less of the little stuff. That would allow her to accomplish more of her bigger goals, and to step into the spotlight more.

She had to learn how to delegate.

Questions to help you delegate

What annoys you?

• When you take inventory of the weekly tasks you need to accomplish in your business, which tasks on your plate totally, utterly annoy you?
• Which are a pain in the butt?
• Which are tedious and have way too many steps to complete?

Be honest.

When you jot these down, notice if there are any patterns to these tasks. For example, is it all related to paperwork - invoicing, bookkeeping, timesheets, taking meeting minutes? If so, you’ll start to work out the exact type of Virtual Assistant you might need to hire next to help takes these off your plate.

What training needs to be done?

Do you have a voice in your head that says, ‘never mind, it’ll be faster if I just did it myself.’

It may be keeping you stuck. All those tedious little tasks eat up all your valuable time, leaving you less time and energy to do the higher yielding tasks (like sales and client relations).

Let’s stop that vicious cycle. It may be what’s keeping you playing small.

Instead, ask yourself:

• ‘What training do my team need, in order for me to let go of this task?’

It might seem daunting at first, but hear me out.

Maybe at your next team meeting, you allocate 30-minutes to train your team on one or two weekly tasks. Do it in-person or via a video conference call. Have someone document the steps in a Google Doc and place it in your company handbook.

And then... re-assign the task, right then and there. Sure, the first time they do the task for you, there might be a few fumbles. But with repetition comes mastery. And a sense of relief that this task is now off your plate.

What tracking system do I need in place?

Every team member works differently.

Some are super organized project managers, some are more creative, blue-sky thinkers. How you manage the spectrum is really important, once you’ve delegated the task.

When you’ve got a task-tracking system in place, you can rest assured that the work is getting done to the caliber you expect. Some tools we use at The Simplifiers are:

• Trello - a free project management software that is browser-based.
• Google Sheets - online spreadsheets which can be shared. My VA has a weekly task list where she checks tasks off and I can easily track for accountability.
• Slack - a free message board communications tool where you can have conversations by project, topic, client or team.

Use what works for you and your team. That ensures buy-in from colleagues, which helps them stay motivated to update it regularly. With the right technology in place, you’ll learn how to delegate more and more, with ease.

And just one final whisper, just from me to you, dear friend… come in closer.

Turning off your Type A control freak status is easier said than done. Trust me, I know. But once you identify the tasks you want to let go of, train your team and put a tracking system in place… just imagine the headspace you will create!

If you’re worried that you can’t afford to hire another full time person on your team, start small. Find a Virtual Assistant that can help you with one or two tasks to start with… and build from there.

Letting go is not easy.

It requires trust.

It requires faith.

It requires a new way of thinking.

But just like Beyonce, you are destined for greatness. And in order to step up and into the spotlight of your own life, you need to surround yourself with a team who believe in you, and help you to shine.

Becoming an undercover superhero for your clients means you need to delegate more of the little stuff, so you can simplify the big stuff for them.

You can do this, I believe in you.

It’s time to SIMPLIFY.

Show notes available with all LINKS mentioned here:
https://thesimplifiers.com/podcast/bonus-038/

Further episodes of The Simplifiers Podcast

Further podcasts by Mary Baird-Wilcock

Website of Mary Baird-Wilcock