Unlocking the Power of Delegation: How SMB Owners Can Delegate Tasks Effectively

As a small business owner (SMB) learning how to be productive is one of the best ways to make the most of your time and strengthen the success of your business. However, when it comes to being productive, there’s one tip that never leaves our top 5 suggestions: team delegation. 

In the early days of your business, it’s understandable if you had to be the one wearing all the hats. But as you look ahead to expansion, you have to unlock the power of passing on some of those hats through effective delegation. Scared to pass the torch? You don’t have to be. Read on for 3 ways SMB owners can delegate their tasks effectively. 

Choose the right tasks and the right ERP

First up: Be intentional about the tasks you delegate. Because some of the tasks you may think you need to delegate are tasks that don’t save that much time on your calendar. So to spot the right task by tracking what takes up the most time in your day and then decide whether or not it’s something you have to have your hands in. 

And then, if it’s not, choose who to delegate it to. Pro tip? Delegation doesn’t always have to be one of your workers. While we know you have phenomenal workers, sometimes, the best person to delegate to is your ERP software and the automations that it can provide! 

Get Detailed

“If you want a job done right, do it yourself”. We’ve all heard that one, right? Chances are, it came from someone who once delegated a job to someone poorly. And if you’re looking to really unlock the power of team delegation, we want you to jump into it as best as you can. And that means getting detailed. Like really detailed. 

Don’t expect the person to know what you know. Don’t expect them to know the tricks that you do or to think the way you would. Instead, record yourself doing the tasks you want to pass on and make note of all the ways you tackle the tasks, the time it takes you to get it done, and the results that come from it. Then give ALL of that info to the person you’re delegating the tasks to so they’re empowered and have the best chance at getting it done right the first time around.  

Zero Micromanaging 

Unlocking the power of delegation and learning how to be productive is all about cutting down on the things you don’t have to do, to make room for the things you do. This means, that once those tasks are passed off your plate, you can’t be spending time looking over a worker’s shoulder. Or else…what was the point of it all? 

Final task: Set some distance for yourself. If you’ve been detailed, the worker likely has a deadline so challenge yourself not to check-in until then unless they reach out beforehand. Use this free time to get all those other to-dos off your plate! And again, if your business runs on NetSuite, leverage your investment! With CRM tasks, NetSuite allows you to input, assign, and track tasks so that you don’t have to be checking in. 

Unlock your power

The power of your business is embedded in the energy, clarity, and focus you have to give. But when you’re bogged down with tasks, there’s not much of that leftover to steer your success. So lean into team delegation. 

Choose the right tasks, get detailed, and leverage your ERP software to cut out the micromanaging. By doing so, you’ll see how effective delegation could be the power move your business needed all along.