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As leaders grow their businesses, it’s critical to figure out what it looks like to not hoard all the work.
The number one mistake we see entrepreneurs make is allowing themselves to burn out.
Too often, we see leaders who cannot delegate or don't delegate well. They want control – so they won't release those things to delegate. And, in turn, they aren't giving that great work – and those great opportunities – to those around them, which would empower and elevate them.
Growing a business requires you to surround yourself with the best talent. And the best way to find those talented people is to let them in, give them some of the work and see it as a partnership.
Giving It Away: Where To Start
When implementing this in your life and business to minimize overwhelm and burnout, think of it as a 10-step program.
The first step is to evaluate where you are currently.
A lot of people wind up burning out and, worse, didn't even know they were headed in that direction. If you can catch some of the early signs, you'll fare a lot better.
Here are some questions to ask yourself:
Are you working too many hours?
Are you dropping the ball on things that are important at work?
Are you not spending enough time doing the most important things for your business, which are probably related to growth, strategy and vision?
Are you missing things personally?
Has your personal life taken a backseat to your work life?
Answering a hesitant — or resounding — ‘Yes!’ to any of these questions indicates a strong possibility that you will be – or are – overwhelmed and burned out.
This could be because you're not identifying which areas you should spend your attention and focus on. What are the things truly you do not need to do that could easily be handed off to somebody else inside your organization — or who could you bring onto your organization?
And hiring is one of the most important things you will do as an organization and as a leader.
The BELAY Way
At BELAY, we believe in hiring being arduous and detailed. Hire slowly and make the right decision. Your decisions go above and beyond the basic skill set and things that you would see on a resume. You’re also vetting candidates’ soft skills.
Hiring mistakes cost a lot of time, energy and money. You want to take your time and get it right the first time.
And people will be as good as you let them be. Your ability to train and onboard people to your organization, as a leader, is equally as important as it is that the right person has shown up and brought their skillset to you that day.
Lead with trust, and give it away until people prove you otherwise.
And if you don’t have someone on your team — like an Executive Assistant — to hand delegate to, the time is now.
The most important thing you get out of an Executive Assistant is time and your time is valuable.
And It Starts With One, Simple Question
Every leader has an Executive Assistant, and the question is, “Is it you – or is it somebody else?
Somebody is managing the emails, booking the travel, setting up meetings, putting together notes and following up on action items. Is it you?
Are you the very overpaid assistant or are you leveraging somebody else to do those things so your 40 hours can be filled with things like growing your organization?
In order to elevate, you need to delegate.
That may look like elevating your business, elevating yourself as a professional or leader, elevating your results or elevating your personal bandwidth. In order to grow and elevate, the key is truly to delegate.
In this episode of Entrepreneurs on Fire, John Lee Dumas and our CEO Tricia Sciortino have a conversation about delegating in order to be the best leader you can be — and how to avoid burnout.