You probably know a business owner who holds on to too much responsibility and struggles with the workload and daily pressure of running a business. If you’re really honest with yourself, maybe you’re the same.
In business, trust is the basis for better relationships, better collaboration, better culture and better outcomes. As a leader, you need to learn to trust in those around you if you’re to improve your business performance and grow your company.
To develop the trust you have in your team, and to help broaden their skills, you have to delegate. Start by identifying the things that you’re not good at, you don’t enjoy or that get in the way of more valuable activities. Then, using the following five simple steps, you can begin to delegate these tasks to your team:
- Identify your stars
Making a note of who has proactively volunteered for extra responsibility in the past and giving them the chance to take on more is a great way to start delegating more and building up that trust. - Be open with your people
If you think your team hasn’t noticed you struggle to delegate or trust them to take on more responsibility, think again! It’s therefore a good idea to have a conversation, open up new possibilities and remove barriers that may have instilled a ‘leave things to me’ culture. - Break down bigger tasks to make them more manageable
Just because a task is big or complicated doesn’t mean it shouldn’t be delegated, especially if it doesn’t play to your strengths or stops you from focusing on more valuable activities. Try breaking down a task into smaller chunks, ask people to take them on with your guidance and be clear about the results you are expecting. - Keep an eye on the bigger picture
Once you’ve delegated something, assess the person’s progress and output – not just in doing the task but also how they respond to being asked, what pride they take in the work and their appetite for more. - Ask for and provide feedback
An open dialogue is essential for creating a trusting environment in which future activity will thrive. You should therefore give feedback regularly to the people you delegate to, in order to help them learn. And don’t forget to ask for feedback in return. Not only will this develop your leadership skills, it’ll boost your ability to trust.
Allowing others to share aspects of your business is essential for achieving growth and reaching your goals. So, if you’re a business owner who’s been keeping everything to yourself and are now feeling the strain, applying these five points will benefit you, your team and your business.
Henchards can help you gain, build and develop trust in your team so that you can collaboratively take your business to the next level. Get in touch to find out how.