When to Delegate vs When to Tackle the Work Yourself

As a business owner, being able to wear lots of hats is very important. You are the most important person in the business and this will push you to handle most of the operations yourself. However, running a business is also time-consuming and exhausting.

What to do when you need help? You delegate.

Delegating means trusting people with important things. It’s natural to fear that the results won’t come out as well as you wanted. But you can avoid potential mistakes if you can balance when to delegate and when to do the work yourself.

So, how to delegate well?

Find the right person to delegate to

People are different. Some are suited for more responsibility and some are struggling with the ones they already have. If you increase burden and assignments on someone who has no desire or capability to carry more responsibility, it usually results in failure and stunted growth. Meanwhile, there are always people who want to do more and they have both the skills and energy to do more. These are the people you need to delegate to. Reward them for the extra work they are willing to commit to.

Understand the ceiling of your capability and delegate when you are past your limits

You might think you can do everything. Or maybe you feel as though no one can do the job as well as you can. But inevitably, there is a limit to your capability. You just can’t do everything by yourself. Of course, you can learn about new skills and eventually do the job yourself. But don’t overdo it. A person who keeps pushing past their natural limits risk burnout and will eventually pay with their health. Simply accept that you can’t do everything, find someone with the best or the most appropriate skills, and delegate.

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Know your limits, then delegate. The goal is business growth. Even if you have enough capital to run a business, lack of ability and productivity will jeopardize any business.