Before becoming a freelancer I worked at a few different jobs. Each one had a different owner, or manager, that ran it.
Some were good at tasks such as staff scheduling, payroll, and training. Others were adept at handling human resources issues and questions. A few of them had more experience than others making them better at managing their employees overall.
One thing they shared but didn’t do equally well was delegate. In fact, delegating is one of the hardest things for most managers and business owners to learn. But there are many reasons delegating is good for your business.
1. Saves Time
If you are like me, time is something you never seem to have enough of. It rules my calendar and my day whether it’s a work day or a weekend.
When you own a business it’s no different. For each thing you cross off your list there are at least ten more behind it that need to be done. That is one of the reasons delegating is good for your business.
Delegating allows you to finish more jobs in a shorter period of time. Therefore, it saves time to be used on other work projects or on more enjoyable activities, such as spending it with your family or friends.
2. Reduces Stress
Allowing others to help you with the work load by delegating duties to them can reduce your overall stress. This is another of the reasons delegating is good for your business.
Reducing stress levels is important to prevent job burn out as well as keep you in good physical and mental health. Stressed out people get illnesses more frequently and don’t perform as well at work.
3. Helps Others Learn
As a business owner you can delegate tasks to other people that help them to learn new skills. This helps them add to their knowledge base as well as build their confidence. It can also make them more versatile to your business.
Developing their skills allows your staff to be more efficient and promotes teamwork. This lets them cover for each other, and you, should there be illnesses or other reasons for staff to be gone.
4. Increases Profits
Increasing profits is another of the reasons delegating is good for your business. You can delegate to others by giving them assignments that free up your time.
Once you have a little more wiggle room in your schedule you can do other things only a business owner can and should do. Although some of those things include managerial tasks, another could be additional marketing which can raise business profits.
5. Improves Relationship with Team Members
When your team members experience success it helps them connect with you and your business. They feel empowered and it makes them want to do more.
In order to facilitate that feeling as well as improve the relationship you have with your team members, delegate tasks to them that challenge them. They will have greater respect for you as well as loyalty when you help them develop their skills.
6. Spreads Work Out More Evenly
Delegating jobs to other staff members can assist you with spreading work evenly among them. When employees each have plenty of duties it prevents workloads from becoming lopsided.
If workloads become uneven it can lead to resentment and job turnover, which may in turn eat away at the profits of your business.
It’s true that business owners have many different hats to wear as they manage their businesses. However, in order to be the most effective and make the best profits, they should consider delegating tasks that don’t need their personal attention.
