Delegate, Delegate, Delegate

As a small business owner, you love to do everything, don’t you?

Why not? You can. You’re a multi-talented individual who doesn’t know the meaning of the word “can’t.” You get things done. You move things forward. You’re a builder, innovator, visionary and technician. You aren’t afraid to roll up your sleeves and get your hands dirty.

But just because you *can* do everything, doesn’t mean you *should.*

To be able to grow your business, achieve personal and financial freedom, and lead others to be the best they can be, you have to turn things over to others. Otherwise, as your business grows, so do all of your job responsibilities. Sooner or later, all those balls you juggle will become more than you can handle.

Letting go doesn’t mean abdicating your managerial duties or ignoring how your business is running. It means setting expectations of what should be accomplished and how. It means documenting your expectations in writing and communicating them verbally to staff and contractors. It means monitoring people’s ability to meet those expectations and it means rewarding them and celebrating them when they get there.

Identify the jobs you do best and focus your energies on doing those things yourself. The other stuff – delegate!

Smart delegation is the best way to ensure that your business fuels your life, as opposed to sacrificing your life to fuel your business. As Michael Gerber says in the E-Myth, the excitement of being an entrepreneur is in working *on* your business, not working *in* it.

Have a story about how smart delegation saved your sanity? Share it!