For founders, there’s a fine line you need to tread as a leader and manager. You need to inspire the heck out of the people you work with as well as get all of the intricate details of your vision out of your brain and into the brains of these people. Often, founders have not spent much time in a management role in their previous work life and are unsure of what their management style is as they embark on building a company.
Striking the right chord with your management style can be the difference between success and failure, and it requires a lot of self-awareness and intention. It rarely just comes “naturally” and is wildly successful in your natural state. How do you make sure you embolden your team to thrive while maintaining control over your business?
If you’ve ever found yourself buried under a mountain of responsibilities, you’ve probably wondered, how do I get more done without burning out? As your company grows and your team expands, it’s essential to shift your focus and learn how to delegate effectively. At the same time, it’s tempting to micromanage when things aren’t moving as quickly as you would like or when you feel like certain tasks are too important to leave in someone else’s hands. This can be particularly hard when talking about your business. After all, this is your company we are talking about. This is another clear case of finding a balance between holding on and letting go.
Finding the right balance is not easy, and all founders need to know that getting it wrong can lead to frustration, inefficiency, and burnout. So, how do you find that sweet spot? Let’s explore the art of delegating versus micromanaging and how you can use both to your advantage as a leader.
Delegation: A Key to Your Success
In the early days of any business, founders are the driving force behind nearly every decision. From managing sales, marketing, finance, legal, IT, to customer service, entrepreneurs do it all. So it’s normal to feel the weight of that responsibility, especially when it’s your company and reputation on the line. It is also normal for your team members to want your buy-in on every decision as the foundation of your company is built on your ideas and vision.
However, founders are not superheroes. Despite trying, we can’t do everything alone, and as our business grows, we ourselves need to grow as leaders and accept that we cannot do everything forever. In comes the hot topic, delegation. Or as we feel it as founders, letting go. The most effective way to scale and grow your business is to make sure you’re focusing on only using your superpowers and managing areas that only you can do as a founder. Everything else can be delegated to the right people who understand your vision. By delegating tasks to others, you not only empower yourself and free up your workload but you also demonstrate trust that your team can successfully handle things you brought to their field of responsibility.
Nurturing their confidence and growth will go a long way in serving the greater goals of your company. Delegating nurtures your organization’s capability to take ownership of key responsibilities while making them stronger team members and you a more focused leader.
“Delegation is an art and needs a meticulous approach because it deals with people. Motivating, acknowledging, and recognizing people in delegation is of utmost importance because it touches people’s value system and that they are able and can contribute positively to their organizations. There is a general feeling that rewards should be done fairly and in line with the organizational standards. Rewards should go beyond money.” — Brian Barnard & Benedict Mathebula, University of the Witwatersrand, South Africa
Micromanagement: Why It Hurts Your Business
Micromanagement is the other side of the coin. You become so involved in every single detail and ultimately you end up culling your team’s creativity, limiting their growth, and hindering their critical thinking skills. The kicker is that while you may think you’re helping by always having the answers or giving the shortcut path to your team, you stifle their ability to creatively think. Think about it, is this the way you grew to be the capable and creative person you are today? No, likely you had adversity, challenges, and hurdles to overcome which enabled your learning and growth. Ultimately, micromanagement sends out a convoluted message to your team of “I don’t trust your ability” and that can destroy the success of your company.
Micromanaging may seem like the only way to make sure everything gets done “right.” However, what is “right”? When you do not offer opportunities to use critical thinking or low-risk moments of “failure” your team loses the ability to learn and your team can become disengaged, frustrated, or overly dependent on your approval. This creates a never-ending loop of your involvement in your business’s day-to-day operations, which is not something you want as a leader. You want to be able to sit in the seat of a visionary looking into the future, not limited to the day-to-day minutes when you should be focused on three to five years in the future.
As a founder, your focus needs to be on forming a very clear vision for the company that is shared with every single employee or contractor supporting the company. Think of your clear vision as seeds to be planted in your farm of success. Then let your team tend to these seeds. Allow them to plant, water, and harvest them by giving them space to add their own creativity and expertise.
With your focus on the big picture and enabling your team, you will be pleasantly surprised to see how your ideas grow with the right people tending to them. If you micromanage this experience, you will be left to tend the farm on your own. The key to being an effective leader lies in finding that sweet spot. This means letting go of the “how” while staying focused on the “who.”
The Sweet Spot: Effective Delegation
Effective delegation is far more than telling others what to do. As a leader, it’s important that you strategically empower your team to take on responsibility while providing the vision and guidance they need to succeed. We’ve all heard the proverb “Give a man a fish, and you feed him for a day; teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime.” Well, that very much applies to how you should approach delegation. Remember, your role is to drive the company forward, not to be the bottle neck to progress by being involved in every detail.
Here’s what effective delegation looks like:
- Clear Vision – Make sure your team understands the company’s overarching goals, how their roles contribute to achieving them, and what the future looks like is you are successful. A well-communicated vision aligns everyone on the same path and empowers them to take ownership of their work.
- Clear Expectations – Set specific goals, timelines, and outcomes to ensure clarity and accountability. When your team knows exactly what’s expected of them, they can focus on delivering results without unnecessary confusion or back-and-forth.
- Trust in Your Team – Trust is the foundation of effective delegation. Believe in your team’s abilities and offer encouragement to boost their confidence and commitment. Remember why you hired them in the first place—they bring unique skills to the table.
- Champion Open Communication – Create a culture where team members feel comfortable seeking feedback, sharing insights, and asking questions. This fosters collaboration and ensures everyone stays aligned without you needing to micromanage.
- Provide Support When Needed – While trust is essential, it’s also important to provide support when your team needs it. Check-in regularly and offer resources, feedback, and encouragement. Be available to troubleshoot challenges together but avoid solving every problem for them.
- Celebrate Wins and Learn from Failures – Recognition goes a long way in motivating your team. Celebrate their successes to show appreciation and build morale. When things don’t go as planned, use it as a learning opportunity rather than an excuse to micromanage. Reflect on what went wrong, identify areas for improvement, and move forward with greater clarity. “Failure is an option here. If things are not failing, you are not innovating enough.” – Elon Musk
Delegation is the Secret to Scaling Your Business
As a founder, learning to delegate can unlock your and your team’s true potential. This is a skill you must master in order to focus on high-level strategy, grow your business, and empower your team to succeed. Micromanaging, on the other hand, can drain your energy, hinder creativity, and ultimately hold your business back.
By setting clear expectations, trusting your team, fostering open communication, and providing support, you can find the sweet spot that allows you to lead without stepping on your team’s toes. Delegation isn’t about doing less; it’s about harnassing the superpowers of each individual, including yourself, to propel your business forward.
Embrace the art of delegation, watch your team flourish, and enjoy the ride while your business grows and thrives!
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Resources:
- The Factors of Delegation Success: Accountability, Compliance and Work Quality University of the Witwatersrand, South Africa https://business.expertjournals.com/23446781-805/
- Leaders’ Behaviors Matter: The Role of Delegation in Promoting Employees Feedback-Seeking Behavior. Beijing Normal University, Beijing, China https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC5461250/#sec13
