Time Managing Employees & Project Delegation

By Christina Suter on Jun 16, 2018 at 07:00 AM in Business Issues
Time Manage Employee & Project Delegation

You want a run a business that comes from your passion, but running a business is different than the industry in which your business exists. Running a business is a series of systems that aren't necessarily the same as the industry you're in. Managing a small business and being able to run a business is different because business skills are multifaceted. Conscious-minded business owners run their business because they felt called to do it, it goes beyond your natural talent. For some people, working a 9-5 job does not fulfill them, I learned that about myself, I'm not a 9-5er and when I realized that I closed my business years ago. 

Time management is about what you do with your day, files, calendar, and with your employees. The last blog post was about how to hold your employees accountable and how to better manage your time by having your employees prepare for weekly meetings instead of hijacking your time on a daily basis. This week I want to go deeper into that and discuss the art of delegation. 

When you hired an employee you did so because you believed in their ability to help and you recognize they could fulfill a need. As the leader you did the hiring but they're solving a problem for you, so it can seem like they're the leader because you're desperate or anxious for the help. Understand that your employees like direction and feedback but don't want your problems to be theirs. 

Don't get stuck needing them when you're supposed to be leading them. 

My husband is an engineer; he's been an employee all of his life and although he's very smart, he has no desire to lead a team of people. His time, skills, and attention to detail is best utilized as an employee because his time and interests aren't split between working and leading. He, like other great employees like knowing what is needed and wanted from them and then being left alone to do their work. Independent contractors are like you and me, they're entrepreneurs who like having their project delivered and then taking the reigns and figuring out how to do the job or complete the project.

Delegate accordingly; employees seek shelter, they want direction over their area and they want feedback. Independent contractors want to be given a task; they don't seek feedback or shelter. 

Hire the right mindset for the right job. 

Have you ever felt stuck because you don't know what you can safely delegate and what you can't? Or maybe you don't have an employee you can trust to do their 40 hours so that you don't have to do 80 hours a day.

You know by now that I'm a of David Allen's Time Management systems and book. Allen says that when it comes to delegation, first tell the employee what the vision for the project is so they can understand the scope of what they're looking at. Then give them what your deadline is and ask if that date works so that they understand the request and are accountable to that date if they say yes. You engender their independence and power when you ask, you aren't handing over your power and also asking if there's anything they need from you for them to complete their project. When the project comes to you, give them and yourself the gift of grace and assume that it won't be perfect at that date. There will be things you forgot to convey and things they did that you'd like to change. So while you expect the finished project on the date you both agreed to, understand that there will most likely be a follow-up delivery date for the finalized perfect project. 

5amhacks.com by Dan Luca is a website that helps entrepreneurs move forward. He says about delegation: "..if you avoid upgrading this skill [of delegation] you'll surely be overworked, underpaid, and highly frustrated." Luca's 5am delegation template is as follows:

1. To whom is project delegated?
2. Who is the manager of that project?
3. What's the delegation date?
4. Description of the delegated task.
5. What is the agreed-upon deadline?
6. What are the rules to be followed to achieve the desired result?
7. Managers' responsibility in providing necessary resources.
8. Consequences of breaching the agreement.
9. Date and time of next meeting.

If your projects are stuck:

1. You either didn't delegate well in the beginning.
2. You're getting in the middle of it.
3. You didn't hold them accountable.