There is no single management skill more critical to your personal and professional success as an entrepreneur than learning to delegate. In short, an artful business person learns what she does best, and she does that to the best of her ability. She lives it, breathes it, and sleeps it. It is a passion. The rest can be left to someone else.

Easier said than done, of course. There is much more to delegating than meets the eye. It does not mean simply to hand out assignments. It is a science, as well as an exercise in understanding oneself. Some of us have been lucky enough to find our strengths and at the same time recognize areas traditionally referred to as weaknesses. It takes much personal strength and integrity to admit, "this is not my area of expertise and here is where I need help." But even admitting that you need help isn't enough; you also need to determine how you will obtain this help. And then you need to follow through and ask for it. Often, there are things we wish we were good at but somehow cannot seem to grasp (perhaps not for lack of effort or intellectual ability, but for lack of experience or exposure). The sooner we get over ourselves and focus on the good of the business, the better. We must choose what it is we can conquer and what we need to let go of.

But once you've realized you need help, where do you find it? "Networking" or "relationship building," the buzz words of the 1990's, is one of the key components of delegating. Say you need to hire a graphic designer to help you with a newsletter so you can devote time to your strength: fundraising. You could simply hire someone, but you could build a stronger network if you worked with a local designer willing to barter his services. Now he knows you and knows your services, and in future can recommend his people to you, and you to his people. (And you didn't have to come up with the cash to pay him!)

The Power of Delegating
It is quite liberating once you really do let go and put your trust in other people. The key is to identify good people, enlist them in your cause or business, give them the ball, and then allow them to run with it. Only you will determine if the ball gets dropped. You must manage and oversee the game on a consistent basis. You must give the right ball to the best possible player.

For example, you would not hire a person with an associate's degree in accounting to do the job of a CPA. Likewise, a CPA needs certain facts to achieve the task of budgeting and forecasting cash flow for your business. You need to supply him/her with the necessary information to get the job done. You must understand the process and know what you need the outcome to be. You must also communicate these objectives clearly and monitor the progress. Set meeting times for updates and a time line for completion. Review the process and progress frequently. The same applies to the newsletter example mentioned above. As with everything, there are risks associated with delegating.

Avoid Over-Delegating
Excessive delegating-overburdening others or excessively monitoring their progress-can lead to disaster. A completely hands-off approach will not do, either. Not being a CPA is no excuse for not understanding the budget of your company. You must understand how the budget works and why and be accountable for it. You must also be able to communicate this information to your board of directors, shareholders, creditors, and, depending on your business, even your customers. Most important, you must understand how the critical pieces of your business fit together to form the whole so you can make sound and effective business decisions. Should you not understand these processes, you run the risk of losing control. Losing control has a domino effect; when the quality of goods and services becomes compromised, customer satisfaction quickly falls.

References:
• Small Business Administration

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