A key aspect to great leadership is the ability to empower others and develop their leadership skills. As Ralph Nader says; “The function of leadership is to produce more leaders, not more followers.” The first step in developing leaders is to delegate tasks and for that you need to be able to let go.
It’s not easy, particularly for those of us who have started a business from scratch. We know it inside out, every job, every client, every task; no one can do it as well as us. Or can they?
Of course they can!
Being able to let go and delegate leadership tasks to others will have a positive impact on many levels. Your team members will grow their skill sets and feel valued, they will also become more engaged and invested in the success of your business.
If you have built a strong inner circle it is easier to let go of tasks and trust they will do them well. And they will. As trust builds and your time is freed up to work on the strategic growth of your business the results will soon speak for themselves.
Letting go and building trust is a winning formula.
It’s not always easy, and there will be hiccups along the way, but that’s okay. It’s an important part of personal and business development. If you have communicated well with your team and they share the vision and purpose of the business they will step up to the challenge.
You can’t build and expand a business alone. There are only so many hours in a day and the ever growing list will eventually need more than two hands and one brain, it will inevitably become a team effort. Embrace it and let go.
If you resist delegating, your business will not grow; it’s simply not possible. It will remain within the startup phase. Every business has a life cycle; growth and expansion is natural evolution on the road to success. We have to let go and welcome others into our inner circle.
Once you have accepted the need to let go and delegate, the next challenge is to do it well. Don’t micromanage, that’s not letting go and it’s not empowering to those working for you. Autonomy is.
When you delegate a task respectfully let them know that you believe that they will do a great job. Resist the urge to look over their shoulder and compare with how you would do it. Be realistic, they’re on a learning curve. Even if they don’t do it as well as you may have, give them the space to learn and grow.
It won’t take them very long to adapt and grow, before you know it they will be doing an awesome job and your business will be on its way to a new level.
You’ll be so pleased that you let go and led.
