It’s hard for me to believe I’ve only been in business full time since last June, not even a year yet.
Growing Weaving Influence feels, at times, like life on hyper-drive. We’ve got a lot going on: adding new subcontractors, training new subcontractors, starting new projects, continuing projects, gathering content for our soon-to-be-unveiled web redesign of weavinginfluence.com.
It’s a rush.
As the business has developed, I’ve been undergoing a transition from doing the work to selling, planning, and managing the work. What I do on a daily basis now is completely different from what I did ten months ago. What I think about now is completely different.
And I need to get even better at flexing my delegating muscle so that I can focus on my key priorities as a business owner.
While I’m working to get better at delegating, there are a few areas I won’t (can’t) delegate:
I won’t delegate the role of creating culture on our team. As a leader, my attitude is contagious. If I gripe and complain, so will others. If I seek to celebrate wins, encourage progress, and bring enthusiasm to our work, so will the team. While every team member contributes to building the culture, I am responsible for creating a positive environment in which we can all do great work.
I won’t delegate the role of opening doors of opportunity for others. One of the best, the BEST, parts of being a business owner is the opportunity I have to continually look for, train, and provide opportunities for talented people. If we are going to continue to grow, we need trustworthy, creative, energetic people to serve our clients with us. As a leader, it’s my job to build relationships with and find those talented people and to open up the door and invite them in to the work we are doing.
I won’t delegate the job of selling our company’s services. For now, I am the one most equipped to be the face of our company and to connect with potential customers. I’m the Chief Marketing Officer and the Chief Sales Officer.
I won’t delegate the job of creating content for (and about) our company. Although other team members create lots of content, this is a task that will never be something I delegate completely — for several reasons. First, I love to write. Creating content is fun for me and establishes me as a thought leader in our field.
I won’t delegate the job of planning strategic growth for our company. How can we scale our company to serve more clients and become more profitable? How can we serve our current clients most effectively? What new products can we create to serve our clients? What new services can we offer? As a leader, it’s my job to decide when and how we grow.
When I am not sure if I should be doing something, I consider the task against the list above. Unless it’s one of the task above (or a few select others including consulting and training clients), I probably need to delegate it.
Tell me something! What are you delegating? What can you never delegate? (I’ll be back next week with a list of tasks at home that I won’t delegate — and tasks I will delegate!)
I am the founder/CEO of the Weaving Influence team, the author of Reach: Creating the Biggest Possible Audience for Your Message, Book, or Cause, and the host of the Book Marketing Action Podcast. I’m a wife and mom of three kids, and I enjoy running, reading, writing, coffee, and dark chocolate.
Becky, It is so much fun to watch the growth of you and your company. I am happy for you and your team. I am also excited about the prospect of seeking your help with a project in the near future. I have come to know, like, and trust you through Twitter, Google+, Facebook, etc. Isn’t that just neat!
Hey Becky – Thanks for this list! I just discovered your blog through Twitter @profkrg, and I’m excited to look around (and add to my reader 🙂
I’m on the verge of launching a new website and business, and this list is something I’ll definitely keep in mind. I agree that I’ll probably never fully delegate content creation, because it’s a part of the business I love! Unfortunately, a lot of small business owners hire out for that straight away, eliminating the opportunity to be a thought leader and create a strong, cohesive voice for their brand.
Dana,
Thanks so much for reading and commenting!
Thinking: perhaps business owners hire out for content creation because they don’t understand the value of developing their voice and thought leadership?
Please let me know if I can be of help to you at all as you enjoy this new journey!
Becky