Q: I feel totally stressed and overwhelmed in my company, which has 30 employees. How can I delegate better and not feel like I’m drinking from a firehose every time I walk into the office?
Ian P.
A: Many entrepreneurs and those who have grown companies (myself included) have had to learn this lesson the hard way. I was initially horrible at delegating, but over time I learned to trust the people I hired.
I know it sounds obvious and it’s easier said than done, but the first step is hiring the right people. Then you need to spend time learning the skill set of the people you’ve hired. Maybe they can do more or something in addition? And then you need to invest the time in training them to first handle the job you brought them in to do and then learn to anticipate your needs.
I’ve hired a number of people who have taken the stress off my life by adding to the jobs they were hired for and are also now excelling in new areas that they have grown into. If you’re willing to invest the time, use it to fully understand their capabilities beyond the resume. Using the phrase “this is what you were hired for” can severely limit an employee’s potential.