Written by: Harri Pereira, Executive Contributor
Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise.
The Delegation Mindset
Are you putting a cap on your own business? Or even worse, on your personal growth and freedom? The dreaded word DELEGATION!
"But, it's just easier if I do it."
Are you a micromanager?
Someone who can’t let go of certain tasks because you’ve always done it this way? Procrastinating on hiring for a role you know you need because there’s an initial financial hit?
You are potentially capping the growth of your business by not delegating. You could be the reason why the company is not where you want it to be.
This article will help you overcome your self-imposed limiting beliefs around delegation. If implemented and practiced, you’ll be able to let go of responsibility and grow your business without capping the potential of the company as well as your employees.
Letting Go of Control
I've worked with 50+ C-Level execs, as well as top-level business owners who have founded companies from the ground up and there’s usually a common denominator:
The difficulty of giving up responsibility.
Despite some businesses I’ve worked with turning over north of 10mil, some of the leaders are still performing with 'small-minded' behaviors which limit their potential.
They don't have a P.A, they're not outsourcing tasks, they don't have a specific title because they're still operating as all of MD, CEO, even the Sales Person at times some still running the business’ marketing!
It’s scary, it’s difficult sometimes we don’t feel ‘worthy’ of delegating IMPOSTER SYNDROME! This is a subject for another day though.
“The Labourers Mindset”
The type of mindset and performance where you believe you have to do everything because that's
how you’ve always done things. You end up operating in all areas of the business despite having multiple employees and/or departments. You end up micromanaging employees which is not a productive use of your time.
Questions to consider:
What’s the cost of using your energy to micromanage?
Are you leaving revenue on the table because of it?
Has your personal life taken a backseat because you’re spending half your days micromanaging?
It's not easy to get out of this sort of mindset because ultimately you need to shift your identity and let go of ‘your baby’ which you’ve built from the ground up in some cases. I get it though, it's your pride and joy and usually, "it's just easier if I do it".
Perhaps you're the best person to continue doing the role or task, however, is it the best way to proceed for the business and you? Probably not.
Below are the main thinking points towards overcoming “delegation inertia”. Here’s what you need to consider if you want to shift gears in your life & business, taking them both to the next level.
Your Ego Is Your Enemy
I’m sure you’ve heard of Ryan Holiday's book Ego Is The Enemy, well here’s a play on that, because it’s getting in your way.
I know some of you will scrunch your face up at this and say "I'm not egotistical, I'm a humble business owner who would do anything for my employees"
Never mind that that mindset is a whole different problem in and of itself, by doing everything for them, you're doing nothing for them.
But what do I mean by saying your ego is capping your scalability as a business AND as a person?
As I mentioned briefly above, the way you’ve always done things isn’t necessarily the best way to move the business forward. You’re attached to that way of operating, so removing it, or perhaps realizing there’s a better way, hurts you personally, it’s an attack on your self-worth & identity.
One of my clients once said: “It’s funny when you’re at the top, no one seems to challenge you that’s why it’s so useful having you around to question my decisions & behaviors”.
"Don't fix what's not broken, but improve what could be better."
So if you're still in that ‘Labourers Mindset’ and you're unaware of your potential egocentric behavior preventing you from delegating responsibility, then perhaps you need to delve deeper into why that's the case and where else it's shown up in your life (questions to help you navigate this will be towards
the end of this article).
“But what about authenticity?”
“People buy into us and we have a great client retention rate because of me. My expertise, experience & rapport building is what got us here."
That's a belief system that you've created for yourself which is usually around your ego [again]. With the right steps in place, you can transition from an intimate 1 person band to employing 5, 10, or 50+ employees without losing that personal touch (see below).
When we believe that customers buy into us because of who we are, it feels good and builds our self-esteem. The reality is, that they’re probably buying into your values and beliefs. But that’s GREAT NEWS here’s why:
Install Your Values Into The Business
Once we remove that ego from the equation, we can learn how to install our values & beliefs into the business. The company will then be able to operate with full transparency and integrity with the employees adopting these same values & beliefs.
They'll then be able to drive the same message and deliver a damn good service or relationship with that client.
Your relationship with your clients won't be impacted if you build a strong culture for your company. If you're able to embed your values, beliefs, and behaviors into the business, you give your employees a framework to successfully keep existing business, and win even more business in the future.
Feel The Fear.
What’s the real reason you’re not delegating right now? Here are possible circumstances you’re replaying in your head.
That your business will burn into the ground?
That the job, task, or role won't get done to a good enough quality?
That your self-worth will be damaged if you become less busy?
Honestly, we could go down many avenues right now with this subject.
Below are possible reasons why the above aren’t true and perhaps you can relate them to your situation.
1. Your business will not be impacted if you have good systems & processes already in place. The positives of delegating significantly outweigh the potential risk to any business and the decision to delegate can always be resurrected.
2. It's your responsibility to build a strong company culture to ensure that the quality of work done by your employees exceeds your expectations! This is also vital if you have a goal to exit one day. Remember, some people and organisations specialize in everything these days.
You hire an accountant to do your taxes, right? Or hire a plumber to fix your sink?
3. Busy and Business aren't the same thing. You can be a very successful business person who has a life outside of work and is in full control of his personal life and health (my clients are those people).
“You are not your business.”
Your self-worth should not be attached to any business or external entity.
So let me ask you again, what’s the real reason you can’t let go of responsibility? It’s a mindset. Change your mindset, change your results.
Become A Coach
It may seem scary to hire someone who isn’t as brought into the business as you or someone you trust to hand over certain responsibilities to. It may seem an impossible task to hire someone as good as you!
Remember you weren't always this good. Coach someone into a role and tweak their behaviors as they go and give them space to buy into you and the business.
Systems Over Skills
If you're new to delegating and your business has strong systems already, then the 'right' individual is a minor tweak. It may not even make a difference to the business apart from freeing your time and headspace!
As with life, there’s never a ‘right’ time to delegate, but there are certainly ‘better’ and ‘worse’ times. Ensure you have the foundations in place and the right structure to support the decision to delegate.
Exercises To Try:
Exercise 1
1. Write down 1 area of your life where you ALREADY delegate.
Eg: Getting your car fixed by a mechanic, having your kitchen sink fixed by the plumber, and assigning your accountant to do your taxes.
2. Write down why you find it easy to do that what gives you the reassurance or motive to delegate that and not feel a certain way about it?
Eg: The plumber comes recommended and they have strong experience.
3. Write down how you could possibly map that mindset across to your business and the areas you need to delegate right now?
Eg: Perhaps it’s a case of asking around for a recommendation from a trusted friend or employee.
Exercise 2
if you KNOW it’s the right time to start delegating better and more efficiently but you’re finding it difficult to let go, try this:
1. Write down 3+ reasons why you need to delegate right now.
2. Write down 3+ reasons why you feel like you can’t delegate right now.
Eg: I don’t want to delegate because I’m the best at this task.
3. For each of the “I can’t” reasons, write down why they’re NOT true, or why they’re not going to stop you this time around.
Eg: This isn’t going to stop me from delegating this time because I’m aware I’m capping the scalability of the business by not handing it over.
Summary:
The empowerment that comes with reprogramming your mindset towards delegation is liberating. My clients were able to free up their time & grow their businesses through these methods without hesitation. From PAs, EAs & new roles, to simply outsourcing time-consuming tasks which they’ve been so conditioned to do themselves.
The clarity and time they gained, the focus and quality that came with it, were unbelievable "How did I even run this business before?"
“I literally have a 3rd more time in my day to spend on innovating tasks or generating more revenue.” Shifting your identity from ‘Labourer’ to 1 title: Business Owner, CEO, or MD, is the ultimate
delegation.
Delegating helps you grow yourself AND your business. It helps YOU stick to what you do best. If you don't want to deal with your money & taxes, delegate your finances.
If you struggle to keep your health and weight in check, delegate your health.
If you don't want to spend time writing content or trying to acquire traffic, outsource your marketing. Delegate everything, you don't need to do.
That is the key to creating the empire and being able to sustain and scale it WITHOUT sacrificing your personal life.
By the way, not all of these belief systems, mindset barriers or circumstances will be appropriate for you well, I hope not all of them anyway!
But they are some of the possible reasons why you may struggle to let go of things that you just don't need to do, which ultimately holds you back and take up your precious time.
It's such a huge step in business. In my experience, it sets entrepreneurs back years of growth and scalability. Be okay with the fact that delegating is a turbulent journey of ups and downs but always has a positive impact on your business and life if persisted with and done in the right way.
SO STOP DOING EVERYTHING!
If this resonates and you'd like to learn more about my work with top Business Leaders, helping them live with optimal health & success through mindset transformation, click either link below:
Harri Pereira, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine
Harri Pereira, from the ‘Fitness Guru’ to the ‘Mindset Mentor’. Showing business leaders how to get massive results with minor changes, to achieve & exceed their potential. Become the CEO of your Mind & Body.
