The Delegation Dilemma: Why Business Owners Struggle to Let Go (And How to Fix It)
Have you ever caught yourself thinking ‘it’s just faster / easier if I do it myself'?
Then you’re not alone. Many purpose led founders and business leaders struggle to delegate or lack the knowledge and skills to delegate effectively. Whether they admit it or not!
Because there’s a lot in between asking someone to take over a few tiny tasks and handing over responsibility of core activities you’ve been carefully holding onto since day one...
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A lot of the delegation dilemma sits with mindset and the most common part being the worry and fears that arise surrounding things won't be done properly, at the correct time or in the ‘right way’...
It's hard to trust and teach someone else your ways. When you're overwhelmed and overworked, delegating can seem even harder.
We totally get it - we’re all human! Doing our best with what we have...
But let's remember that no one becomes an expert in one day. At Alchemy Virtual Assistance, we’ve certainly learned a lot over the years. Particularly when it comes to setting our selves and our clients up for success. As our family run Virtual Assistant franchise has grown, we've also grown our knowledge and honed our skills on some of the best (and worst!) ways to manage delegation.
Let's be frank!
You, quite rightly, see your business as an extension of you! People have bought into your brand because of your personality, presence, energy and expertise!
This is why sometimes delegating and decision making can be overwhelming, there’s often too much going day to day without you having to also figure out what you need to to let go of and how. All of which feeds into the 'super hero complex' of feeling that it’s somehow ‘quicker’ to do it yourself.
When often it’s not...
Delegating is a decision in itself—which paradoxically becomes harder the more decisions you’re making!
However, business growth is easily stunted when you stay small within your comfort zone. Comfortable is comfortable after all! But when we take those tiny steps to delegate, big things start to happen. Just like when our remarkable clients join us, they start to understand that they are tapping into a new, exciting and scary world of freedom...
There's no denying, businesses are expected to grow and with the right support, business owners can be freed up to focus on the high-impact work and rather than drowning the smaller yet still critical administrative and operational tasks.
At Alchemy VA, we understand it’s not easy to let go. But we’re here to help you start small then conquer the world with you!
Let's look at three simple, small ways you can learn to master the delegation dilemma at the right style and pace for you....
Start with what drains you and feels tedious.
Normally it’s the things you hate the most and put off to ‘another day’ when often that day never comes. All of which adds to your mental load and becomes the perfect fuel for beating yourself up on a low day. Yes, we all have them! So start small, make a list of these tasks and start to consider how long you'd expect them to take. Just getting these jobs on a notepad or Trello board (how ever you like to work) can be cathartic in itself. But you're also creating a list of what you need your future Virtual Assistant to take responsibility for.
Duplicate yourself - with a simple screen recording.
Training is key to ease the fears or discomfort that might arise when considering someone else carrying out activities crucial to your business or client experience. Whilst an experienced Virtual Assistant won't need as much 'hand holding' as a traditional employee - as they're used to working in lean, fractional ways. Your Virtual Assistant will still need your direction. Recording your own tutorials is the perfect, time efficient training tool!
We often recommend free screen recording software ‘Loom’. Loom allows you to record both yourself AND your screen, which is super helpful in allowing you to talk through a task real time. Getting the task done your way AND creating a valuable training tool for your Alchemy Virtual Assistant to confidently take the lead going forwards. How good would it be to only have to update that spreadsheet yourself one last time with Loom!?
Don’t micromanage or stress in granular detail about the HOW!
Often we have our set ways of how things have always been done. But your Virtual Assistant may be perfectly positioned to find a helpful loop hole or strategic shortcut. Virtual Assistant's are skilled and experienced in getting tasks done quickly, efficiently and correctly! So, whilst we're on the topic of letting go, sometimes it's smart to set the outcome and not worry too much about HOW it’s achieved.
Letting go doesn’t mean giving up control — it means you're actually TAKING CONTROL of your time, your energy, and your business's potential.
Being supported by an Alchemy Virtual Assistant can make that shift not only easier - but more joyful and sustainable...
What next?
Or perhaps you're more than ready to overcome your delegation dilemma?
Contact us today for a quick chat to discover how our Virtual Assistant team's can help you learn to LOVE letting go...
We can't wait to explore working with you!
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