Delegation is another one of those entrepreneur buzzwords that people love or hate. Those who mastered the delicate art of delegation sing its praises. Others shudder when they think of delegation, either because of a terrible experience or because they can’t imagine it actually working for them.
Here’s the thing. Delegation is great for anyone in any situation. Delegation is a powerful tool for freeing up your time and energy, finding someone better suited for the task at hand, and using your company’s limited resources better. It is often the first step in major growth for your business.
Of course, delegating for the first time can be nerve wracking. But, you have a lot of control over the end result with how you delegate. Follow these delegation do’s and don’ts for a positive (and quite possibly life-changing) delegation experience.
Delegation Do’s
- Do Articulate Priorities. If your employee must choose between making the
deadline or taking a bit more time to submit a quality project, which do they choose? Is the underlying goal of the delegation to train the employee to take over the task (so they should bring any questions to you to learn the correct process the first time around)? Or is it to free up your time (so they should work on trying to fix the problem on their own first)? Your employee will need to make decisions regarding communication, time commitment, etc. Making sure they understand your priorities will help them work for you better. - Do Create Guidelines. Be sure the employee knows their expected time and effort commitment. You don’t want to be caught off guard discovering the employee spent several hours on a task you expected to take thirty minutes. Establish clear boundaries for how long they should work on this project in relation to their other normal duties. Set guidelines as well on the line of communication. If your employee has questions, do they go directly to you? Is there a chain of command they should follow? When (if ever) is it appropriate to contact you outside of office hours regarding the project? Communicate expectations clearly from the start to avoid misunderstandings or lost time.
- Do Provide Support. The sink or swim strategy is not a great leadership approach. Do what you can to empower your employee to succeed. Provide examples of the task or comparable work. Gather up all the login information into one place. Check in at certain points to see how they are doing and provide opportunity for them to ask you questions. Giving this support helps set up the employee for success.
- Do Let the Employee Feel Comfortable Saying No. We may think the employee is
ready for greater responsibility. But, if they genuinely do not feel ready it may be a bad experience for them. Try to build up their confidence and remind them that you feel they are ready. If that fails and they still are uncomfortable at the thought of the project, find a new employee. It is not worth the anxiety it will cause your original pick. - Do Discuss the Experience After They Finish. Take a few minutes to talk with the employee about how things went. See if there is anything you could have done differently to make the experience better. Ask if they are comfortable doing the task again. If the employee made mistakes, use this time as a learning opportunity to gently guide them. Finally, thank them for their work and find something to praise about their output.
Delegation Don’ts
- Don’t Micromanage. The purpose of delegation is for you to no longer deal with the project! Even if this assignment is a training opportunity, you still need to provide your employee with enough space to learn on their own. Employees know when their boss does not trust them, which can really undermine their confidence in their own ability. Showcase your belief in your employee by taking your hands off the reins, and keeping them off.
- Don’t Underestimate the Project’s Timeline. When giving your employee a
deadline, be cautious about underestimating the length of time the project will take. It may only take you a week, but your employee may need to do outside research adding a day or two. Or maybe your employee hits some unexpected roadblocks, requiring you to take the time to provide guidance or assistance. Always estimate more time to provide a buffer in case things don’t go as smoothly as planned. - Don’t Delegate What You Should Be Doing. Yes, everyone can and should delegate tasks. But not every task can and should be delegated. Some tasks do require your expertise or insight. Be selective in what you delegate, keeping the important tasks on your to-do list.
- Don’t Delegate Because You Hate the Project. No one likes the boss who uses
delegation to avoid doing unpleasant tasks. Good leadership means being willing to do the menial, the unappealing, and aggravating tasks for the good of the business. Delegation is about making your company more efficient. Passing off tasks because you hate them, not because someone else should be doing them, is a bad management strategy. It’s tempting, but your employees will lose respect for you if you do it.
You can make or break your delegation experience. Implementing the “dos” and avoiding the “don’ts” prepares you and your employee for a mutually beneficial experience. Your employee can learn or hone their skills while you get to remove something from your plate. If you are new to delegating, you can start off small. You will be surprised at how useful a tactic it can be in managing your business!
about work at 5. When there is no firm end to the work day, it’s so much harder to transition from “work mode” to “living your life mode.” You feel guilty watching TV and wonder if you should go get that one article done. You daydream thinking of your to-do list. You always feel “on,” making it difficult to give yourself the 
Here is where you get to enjoy the freedom of being your own boss. Maybe your peak creativity hours are early morning and early evening. In the middle of the day, you suffer from the afternoon slump. So work in the peak hours and go workout or run errands when your brain power dips.
Once you create a schedule, protect it fiercely. Don’t check your email outside of work hours. Let your clients know what hours they can expect to reach you by phone…and don’t pick up if it’s outside of those (or work into your contract it’s a $75 fee every time they do). When you are done for the day, be done. Don’t fall into the trap of well I could get one more thing done. Allow yourself to rest and relax!
Bear Grylls is a well-known adventurer, writer, and TV personality. In his show “Running Wild with Bear Grylls” he takes a new celebrity on an adventure, encountering 
Vince Lombardi is one of the greatest professional football coaches of all time, leading the Green Bay Packers to victory time and time again. You can get lost reading through a collection of his quotes, as each one is an inspirational landmine. When talking about coaching, he famously said “they call it coaching, but it is teaching. You do not just tell them…you show them the reasons.” Lombardi took the time to explain to his players the reasoning behind his choices and strategies, rather than simply yelling orders. This, arguably, helped improve the coach-player relationship, team cohesion, and the players’ motivation (especially when things got rough).
Miley Cyrus loves her fans so much that she has nicknamed them “Smilers” and makes sure to acknowledge them often, whether on tour or on 
To say that the Kardashians have not been shy about exploiting their brands is like saying that fire is kind of hot. The Kardashian girls endorse clothing, makeup, perfume and more. What they know is that no business cycle lasts forever, so they are not shy about maximizing their potential while they can.
Watching Geraldo Rivera bomb five tasks in a row was amusing and sad. Frankly, Geraldo’s ideas were good — 10 years ago, but did not resonate with company executives who were looking for forward thinking, innovative ideas that appeal to today’s consumers. Not to detract from his achievements, but Mr. Rivera thought that his past journalistic success would lead his team to winning each challenge; it did not. In fact, many younger people do not even know who he is. Geraldo is a forceful, strong-willed personality who does not take “no” for an answer. Maybe that’s the reason behind his success; however, when working with or leading a 
The idea of the comfort zone dates back to 1908, with a classic psychology experiment by Robert M. Yerkes and John D. Dodson. They found that a state of relative comfort created a steady level of performance.
So we learned that optimal anxiety is that place where your mental productivity and performance reach their peak. What’s the incentive to pushing ourselves to that next level? Here is what you get once you’re able to step outside of your comfort zone:
Decide what you want. Consider what you want to achieve. Set S.M.A.R.T goals that motivate you and write them down to make them feel tangible. By setting Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant and Time-bound goals you can measure and take pride in the achievement of those goals. You will be able to see the forward progress in what might otherwise feel like a long pointless grind.
Doing things carelessly is the mother of everything that can go wrong. When you want your project to succeed, you invest yourself in it fully. “The difference between ‘involvement’ and ‘commitment’ is like an eggs-and-ham breakfast: the chicken was ‘involved’ – the pig was ‘
Be determined and most important, consistent. Fully dedicate yourself to your goal. Consistency is about building small empowering habits and rituals that you partake in every single day that keep you focused on your highest priorities and goals. It essentially comes down to your ability to hold yourself accountable for the daily choices you make, with no excuses and no complaints. You and you alone are accountable for what you do and what you fail to do. All responsibility lies solely in your hands.
Growth Mindset
Fixed Mindset
Whether you’re aware of it or not, you keep a running account of what’s happening, what it means, and what you should so. Our minds are constantly monitoring and interpreting. That’s just how we stay on track. Mindset frames the running account of what is taking place. It guides the whole interpretation process.
Changing from a fixed mindset to a growth mindset is not like surgery; you can’t remove a fixed mindset and replace it with a growth mindset. You must work on nurturing a positive, growth mindset. These are tips from
You can’t find the perfect candidate if you don’t know what the perfect candidate looks like. Start off by figuring out what tasks you need accomplished (hint: you can use our 
Once you’ve got a clear picture of what you need, you can start spreading the word that you’re looking for a new virtual assistant. You’ll need to create a clear job listing that details everything you need (i.e. everything from step one). Include something quirky to make sure the person actually reads your listing and can follow directions (for example, asking candidates to mention their favorite movie in the last paragraph to ensure they aren’t just mass posting an application).
Ask candidates for a resume, references, and work samples to ensure their experience and work is up to your standard. Conduct an in-person or webcam interview to get a feel for them beyond their application. It’ll allow you to get a glimpse into their work setting, their fluency of English, their personality, their energy, and all the other intangibles that play a role into how they will fit into your organization. Even though they won’t be coming into the office, it’s important to be sure that their
Imposter syndrome is often confused with a few other things, so let’s clear that up right now. Imposter syndrome is not humility (which is an accurate view saying your worth isn’t more than someone else). Imposter syndrome is a warped and false view of your “lack” of 
It tells us we just got lucky. It wasn’t our hard work, talent, and ambition that got us that success. We just happened to be at the right place at the right time (which, by the way, is why you shouldn’t take a chance now because your luck may run out).
Don’t try to fix it with success. Sometimes people think the way to overcome imposter syndrome is to pursue more accomplishments. But, the underlying root of imposter syndrome is not being able to accurately internalize your own success and abilities. Simply piling on more success won’t do anything to make imposter syndrome go away.
better than perfect. If someone else can do it 80% as well, delegate. To find tasks, do a time audit for a week. You’ll see how you’re spending time (and which simple tasks are draining your time). Delegate anything that can be handled well by another team member.
team member is on track. Check in at various points and provide opportunity for the team member to ask questions and receive guidance.