How Entrepreneurs Should Properly Delegate Tasks
When running a business, delegation is an extremely important skill to have in order to properly manage tasks, meet deadlines and ultimately stay afloat. Being the type of person who is known for wearing many hats (and not necessarily in a metaphorical way), many entrepreneurs such as Alexander Djerassi may struggle to successfully delegate responsibilities. The following tips are meant to help entrepreneurs such as Djerassi make the best use of delegation as possible, allowing them to focus on their core business while still taking time out for some well-deserved R&R.
1) Assign A Task To The Right Person: One of the most common mistakes entrepreneurs make is assigning tasks based on whose fault it is that a task wasn’t completed. Instead of wasting time on making sure everyone knows who messed up, you should instead assign the tasks based on what they’re good at. Even if you are the best at something, don’t do it if there’s someone else who could do it better! This will take a little bit of extra time upfront to determine what each person’s strengths are but will save hours in the long run.
2) Be Attainable: While being attainable isn’t exactly delegation, Alexander Djerassi believes that it is a skill that will come in extremely handy. When delegating tasks to your employees, consider whether or not you yourself would actually have the time and energy to do this task on the days you ask the employee to complete it. It’s better not to assign something than to pile too much onto an already busy schedule.
3) Be Honest: One of the best things about being an independent business owner is that you don’t have to deal with any middle management nonsense. While it can be tough to tell someone they aren’t working out, you will ultimately save yourself time and money by firing people who aren’t up to snuff rather than leaving them on board to continue performing subpar duties.
4) Be Patient: This is easier said than done, but sometimes it’s just a matter of having the time to properly train employees in order for them to perform their tasks well. Unfortunately, there will be times when you have to hire people who are still learning the ropes so being patient during this time period is extremely important.
5) Be More Than Fair: You don’t have to give your employees everything they ask for, but you should be more than fair with them. While you can’t pay them as much as a corporation would, you can consider compensating them in other ways such as paying bonuses or giving extra perks (i.e. free home internet). It will make your employees happier overall and is a great way to motivate them to work harder.
6) Be Transparent: Finally, your best tip for delegating tasks as an entrepreneur is to be completely transparent about everything that goes on in the company with all of your employees. If you don’t trust them then it will show which can cause problems to arise even if they are trustworthy.