Delegation.

A concept that makes almost any leader twitchy.

I was on a call yesterday when the question of delegation and how to best get over the discomfort of getting started popped up.

"I can't seem to figure out how to get started. How to determine what to delegate and how."

If that sounds like you, you are not alone.

Delegation can be challenging.

And here are three tips to get you started:

1. Figure out your zone of genius. I take entrepreneurs and leaders through an exercise to figure out what they love and are best at and keep them engaged in that zone. Here's how it goes...

Create a 2x2 grid on a piece of paper and label the top "Love" and "Don't like" and the left side "Great at" and "Not great at". Now, think about all the "hats" you wear and start categorizing them into their respective squares. That stuff in the lower right (Don't like and not good at)? Delegate those immediately. Then start working on lower left and upper right. Keep the stuff in the Love/Great at box.

2. Lean into teaching. There are probably dozens of items you do every week that take only a few minutes of your time. "It'll take me longer to explain it than to just do it." These have to get delegated. Even if it will take 10 minutes to explain and 5 minutes to do, start explaining and get that off your plate. The next time that task comes around, someone else will handle it. So after 2 requests of this type, you are manufacturing time for yourself.

3. Let people fail. We have a tendency to believe that our way is the best way. And maybe it is. But when you give your team autonomy to take a different path, they learn and grow. And they also might have an even BETTER way to get things done. Delegate and see what magic happens.

Here's a calculator you can use to see how much opportunity you are letting slide by putting off delegation: relishstudio.com/whats-your-time-worth/

And here's an image of a sample "Delegation Grid": drive.google.com/file/d/12KpHYVWGP7KlpLhBxhcbpZAri…

How have you gotten over the delegation hump? Let us know in the comments.

#marketingtips #entrepreneurship #delegation #marketingtipsfromthetrail