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Business growth, delegating jobs go hand in hand print page
By Jamie Herzlich

Your business has grown, but you're still trying to run it solo.

Or maybe you're just not sure what responsibilities to relinquish.

If you're like many small business owners, you know it can be hard to let go of even the most rudimentary task.

But if your business is going to expand, you need to share responsibilities with others, and that means learning how to delegate effectively, say organizational experts.

"Delegation is a critical skill in managing," says Bob Nelson, co-author of "The Management Bible" and president of Nelson Motivation Inc., a San Diego-based management training and consulting firm. "If you don't learn to delegate and let go of some things, you're going to limit the growth of your company."

On the flip side: If you just dole out tasks blindly, you could end up worse off.

So how do you delegate successfully?

Experts say it pays to come up with a plan.

"You're not going to delegate everything you do," says Joan Caruso, managing director at The Ayers Group, a Manhattan-based human resources consulting firm. "You have to think about what makes sense to delegate."

For instance: Repetitive tasks, information gathering and detail work can easily be delegated, notes Nelson. Conversely, you wouldn't want to delegate such things as long-term vision or goals, performance appraisals, discipline, politically sensitive situations or confidential assignments, he says.

That's why it pays to make a list of all the items in your workload, suggests Caruso. Ask yourself these questions, she says: Am I the only person who can do this assignment? And am I the only person who should be doing it?

If it's something that you don't personally need to address, consider if someone else within the company can handle it or whether if can be outsourced.

"Make a list of employees and see if you can do some matching," suggests Caruso. Assess who would be the best fit and who would be most interested in learning a new skill.

"Often people don't think of delegating and developing people at the same time," she notes. But delegating can be a great way to build employees' skills.

This doesn't mean you're giving away the store.

"You're not letting go," explains Marty Brounstein, author of "Managing Teams for Dummies" and principal of The Practical Solutions Group, a training and consulting firm in San Mateo, Calif. "What you're really doing when you're delegating is expanding control."

You may decide it's best to give away a whole assignment, he notes, or even have someone share the responsibility with you.

Whichever you choose, just make sure that you provide guidance and follow-up, says Brounstein, the author of five management books.

Make sure the people you've chosen understand the task, and set checkpoints to review progress, he says. The more urgent the project, the more frequently you'll want to check in.

Just try not to micromanage, experts say.

"You don't want to be on top of them, but you want to know when the task has been completed," explains Barbara Gebhardt, president of Opus Staffing in Melville.

Gebhardt says she makes a list daily of tasks. She'll then delegate the tasks and put employee initials next to the assignments, so she can keep track of them.

"It has to be in writing," notes Sandy Johnson of Sandra G. Johnson CPA Pc in Bellmore. "We have an ongoing 'to do' list for each person." It's written on a clipboard for each staffer, and completed assignments are highlighted so she can make sure the work is getting done.

"You have to learn to trust your staff," says Johnson.

They just may surprise you.

STEPS TO TAKE IN DELEGATING: