HELLO MARCH: This month's theme on the blog is Time Management, and we can’t think of a better way to start it off than discussing the topic of delegation with our guest editor Jaharn Giles from Your Creative Start!

 HOW TO DELEGATE AND MAKE MORE MONEY

Does your inbox stress you out? Are you missing deadlines? Is your to do list overflowing with tasks? Do you wish you had more hours in a day? Are you working long hours with no end in sight? Is your sleep suffering? 

If so, it sounds like you need an assistant, or maybe even a team. 

The thing is, you can’t keep up your busy work pace if you hope to grow your business or career, and enjoy the success you’re reaching for; what you need to do is to delegate.

Now the beautiful thing about delegating is that it frees up your time so you can get on doing the things you love, and the things you should be doing. This will, without a doubt, translate into new clients and customers, and making more money. 

So how do you delegate? Surely, it’s as simple as telling someone what to do? Um, no. You certainly don’t just delegate to anyone and in any manner that suits you. To get more done in less time, there are a few essential rules you need to follow when you delegate. Read on to find out what they are.

Force yourself to delegate

When we work for ourselves, we’re often plagued with the desire to do everything ourselves. So, if there is one piece of advice you take out from this blog post it’s this - don’t wait until you’re burned out to delegate. Objectively look at your to do list in your notebook; do you honestly think you can get all of those tasks done on your own? And what about the tasks that are still floating in your head because you haven’t had the time to write them down? If this isn’t a sign to start delegating, I don’t know what is! Become comfortable with recognising when you’re feeling the pressure of your to do list mounting - and start delegating. It will change your life. 

Choose the right people

All staff are made equal, am I right? Absolutely not. Every person in your team has their strengths and weaknesses. When you need to delegate a task, give it to the person who is the strongest in that area, and can complete the job quickly to a high standard.

Make expectations clear

Take the time to sit down and delegate properly. Walk through the task in detail, leave no stone unturned, let them know how long the task should take to complete and give a clear deadline. 

Don’t micro-manage

I don’t like to micro-manage, so I have created a WIP document (Work In Progress) and timesheets in the YCS (Your Creative Start) Google Drive for my team to update as they complete a job. I ask my team to email me when a job is complete so I am not subconsciously wondering if they’ve finished it. I can also check the WIP and their timesheets to see how they are tracking. Now, by giving my team the right training and autonomy, they feel empowered and motivated. Giving them everything they need to succeed is essential. If you’re not sure, ask if they need anything to help them get the job done. It’s really that simple! 

Stay in touch

Sure, don’t micro-manage but that doesn’t mean you should completely disappear. Stay in touch with a weekly meeting or weekly reporting (or more regularly depending on the task or project) to make sure everything is flowing nicely and so your team feel supported.  

Give detailed feedback

I love it when my clients give me detailed feedback – even if it’s telling us we need to do a better. I literally LOVE that kind of feedback; it’s the only way we’ll grow. I never take feedback personally and I have helped my team to see that as well. The more feedback we get, the better we’ll create. It really is a win win for everyone. Also, don’t feel shy, worried or concerned when that feedback is negative. Just present it in a way that’s constructive so your team feel motivated and inspired to nail the task or project.  

Take responsibility and give credit

There is nothing worse when a manager blames their team for a mistake. As a manager, you need to take responsibility for your team and work with them to fix any mistakes in an appropriate and timely manner. Besides, we all learn from making mistakes so expect them along the way! The same applies when giving credit. Never, ever take it away from your team. It’s the worst thing you can do. Shine the light on your team to share their wins and to show your appreciation; it will go a long way. 

Written by Jaharn Giles

Your Creative Start www.yourcreativestart.com

Instagram www.instagram.com/yourcreativestart 

Imagery by 

Beck Wadworth + Badlands Studio (styling), Georgie Egan (photography)