One of the most difficult aspects of small business ownership is delegating some of your responsibility to others. The difficulty lies in the fact that your business is successful because of your strong leadership and your ability to wear many hats at once. If that wasn't the case, then your business would have failed long ago. So there's a certain logic in your desire to do all of the work yourself; after all, if you want something done right, you should do it yourself. But doing all of the work and retaining all of the responsibility is the short road to burnout. Here are 3 keys to delegating that will save your business, and your sanity.



1. Don't Be Such a Control Freak. Chances are that you're most comfortable when all decisions come from you. But you can only run your company this way for so long before you become completely overwhelmed. Pick one or two of your key staff and let them make decisions on their own, without your input. That way, if you're unavailable for a time, business can still continue. It's certainly in your best interest to make sure they know exactly how you would make a decision if you were present, but chances are that your most competent employees already have a good idea of what you would do in many situations. Not only will you have fewer decisions to make, but you'll be tacitly communicating to your employees that you trust them to do the right thing. That increases their job satisfaction and makes them more willing to take on increased responsibility in the future. It's a win-win for everyone.

2. Give Your Employees an Incentive. Take those one or two people whom you now allow to make decisions on your behalf, and give them an incentive for their increased responsibility. Maybe you want them to have a profit share from the divisions for which they are responsible. Be sure to let them know how they are performing so they'll know what to expect in the form of shared profits.

3. Increase Responsibility. If you use high school or college interns in your business, which is an extremely cost-effective way to increase your staffing, let one of your more seasoned employees be responsible for those interns. Let those employees train and manage the interns. This is a great way to give your employees added experience in human resources and management. Your employees will get increased experience and you will have fewer individuals to manage. You can probably think of other ways to increase the responsibilities of your current employees.

The importance of delegating responsibility cannot be stressed enough. As your business grows, you will find yourself becoming more and more busy, and less and less able to manage all of the tasks that need to be done. There is really no way to avoid delegation if you want to have a successful business, but the key is to delegate wisely. Groom one or two employees from the moment you hire them so that they will be ready to take on added responsibility when the time comes.

Let them shadow you, train them to do some of the tasks that you do, and keep them in the loop regarding major decisions. When they understand your thought processes and reasons for making the decisions you do, they'll be more prepared to make those decisions in your stead. While the idea of delegation may be frightening at first, you'll find yourself much more relaxed and able to concentrate on growing your business rather than on the menial tasks that need to be taken care of. So do yourself and your company a favor and learn to delegate. You'll be on the fast track to success in no time.