When it comes to running a small business, it can be difficult to hand over tasks to others when you are used to working as a one man show. Delegation is an important key to growth and needs to be embraced at the appropriate time. A great small business owner is dedicated and works tirelessly every single day to keep a brand or product running that is continuously growing and thriving.
It’s natural to reach a point where hiring help is necessary. It’s a sign of success. So, when does a small business reach that point? Typically this happens when a small business owner starts to stretch themselves too thin. There are only 24 hours in a day, and just because you can do something, doesn’t mean you should be doing it. Let’s take a look at how this process can be done successfully.
If you find yourself overwhelmed with a long list of tasks and no time to complete it - you’re ready to add an extra set of hands to your business. This helps you focus on maximizing your time where it’s needed most, while delegating the other tasks to those who understand your values and mission.
Take a look at your comprehensive list. Now take the items from that list that can only be completed by you - the business owner. With the remaining items on the original list, come up with a process of how best to get the tasks accomplished with your peace of mind. Your comfort and trust level must be high in order for new systems to be put in place.
Whether you’re preparing to hire your first employee or already have a team of people in place, consider what strengths are needed for the intended roles of delegated work. Not only do you want your business to succeed, but you want to set up an employee for success. If you know an employee isn’t good with numbers, don’t delegate financial responsibility just because they have time available.
Successful delegation must come with your complete trust and creating a situation where the employee may fail will start you off on the wrong foot. Building systems within a business takes time and you want to make sure you’re putting all of your team members in the best positions to succeed.
The most important part of delegation is making sure your expectations are clear. If you’re putting the right people in place, this should be pretty easy because you’ve surrounded yourself with like minded individuals. But, to avoid any confusion and to demonstrate strong leadership skills, it’s imperative that you set standards and write out the steps to your processes from the beginning. Not only will you give an employee a guide to reference, but it also minimizes the margin for error. Putting a system in place requires leg work in the beginning and ultimately helps your business run more efficiently because it cuts down on explanation time and always provides a clear vision for employees.
Expanding your reach beyond your team is sometimes necessary to maximize your money and time. Depending on your business plan, it may not be feasible to hire a full-time HR and finance employee, and you may not have someone on your team who can handle that role plus another title.
That’s where businesses like AlignHR fill the gap. We exist to deliver HR Solutions that drive client profitability and effectiveness. We focus on providing a quality experience that lets you worry about your business, while we take care of all HR solutions, from acting as a completely managed HR department to providing specific project work.
To learn more about our list of services and work, visit HR & Business Services.