Do you like bowling? I think people either do or they don’t.
Honestly, I don’t. And mostly it has to do with a “gross factor” that I have yet to resolve. I am not particularly fond of sticking my feet into those shoes, and my fingers into those mystery holes. *chills down the spine*
And I imagine that this might be how many business owners feel when it comes to delegation within their organization. “You want me to do what?” *chills down the spine*
There are, however, more comparisons between bowling and delegation that I find quite useful. And here they are:
Delegation is like a bowling ball – Eventually you do have to let go
- Set yourself and your team up for success. Get everything out of your head and provide clear direction. No one can read your mind, and you know what they say happens when you assume…
- So pick up your ball, take aim, control the backswing, and then let it roll.
Delegation is like bowling shoes – Sometimes you have to step into someone else’s
- Imagine your dream scenario of delegation and write that down. Now go solicit feedback from the people who will be involved. Perhaps they think of something that will cause you to make an adjustment. Perhaps they will affirm your ideas.
- In the end you are still the decision maker, but involving the team often increases ownership of duties and roles. Step into their shoes and see it from their point of view.
Delegation is like bowling for strikes – It can take a few tries to get it right
- No one is perfect. And things will not always go according to plan. “Duh, Amanda I own a business. Welcome to my every day.” Do not loose trust or optimism when a team member misses the pins. People learn by trying.
- To lighten the anxiety, decide on a contingency plan. How do you follow-up after someone misses the mark? How many misses is someone able to make before you take away their league jersey? Let people miss the mark a few times because they will learn and be even better at handling disruptions, and you will end up seeing more strikes than gutter balls.
Delegation doesn’t happen quickly. It’s not like hitting a strike and then instantly celebrating. Delegation is more like the whole experience of bowling. You tie those laces, you find the right ball, you choose your lane, you pick a fun scoreboard name, and then you order some nachos.
Or it’s something like this – the five levels of delegation:
A. Solopreneur: At some point, even briefly, you are by yourself and everything is on you.
B. Build a Team: Then you bring in employees or begin to outsource. You also begin to understand your systems and structure so people can help you more successfully.
C. Micromanagement: This is the dirty middle. You need to build trust but it’s difficult. You allow the team to execute on more but you’re watching them closely.
D. Trust: Here is where you break through the glass ceiling. You can confidently offload full job duties and tasks, and you empower employees to take ownership of certain decisions and execution.
E. Mastery: Now your business runs like clockwork. Eighty percent (80%) of your time is spent doing what you love in the business. People don’t just work for you – you are followed as a leader.
*Stay tuned for our upcoming Think About it Thursday Videos,
because we will break this down even more.
For some this may have been a stress-inducing read. Or maybe it helped you get past a mental block and now you feel like moving forward with the delegation process. Either way, go pour yourself a ‘White Russian’ and take a deep breath. Everything is going to be alright, Dude.
*Still worried? I get it… Use the link below to set up a free consult call so we can help you stop it.
