transcript

Speaker 1:
[00:05] It frustrates me to no end when wanna-be business influencers oversimplify time management as a discipline issue, because waking up at 3 a.m. to sit in a tub of ice is really what's going to put hours back in your day. Give me a break. Sure, there are people who have no problem with discipline, but that's not the real reason a lot of you are stretched thin. The chances are you're diligent and hardworking, but you just don't know how to get off the hamster wheel. But here's one word you need to remember when it comes to creating margin, delegation. And today, John Felkins from the EntreLeadership team is going to teach you how to understand and take control of your time so you can keep business going up and to the right.

Speaker 2:
[00:54] Delegation will give you time back, but I also want to emphasize it's crucial to the survival of your business because if you don't do it, there is an opportunity cost. Bottlenecks, stunted growth, lack of trust, the list goes on. And here's the thing, your business will never grow bigger than your ability to delegate. And the kind of delegation that we're talking about is not just handing off something that you hate doing. It's recognizing your team's abilities to execute and trusting them to take on more. Quick side note, if you're a one person show or you don't have somebody to delegate to, we'll get to that in a minute. But regardless of your team size, this is about shifting your mindset from doing the work to leading it. Because believe it or not, your job as a leader isn't to do everything. It's to make sure that the right things get done the right way by the right people. So how do you actually delegate? Let's break it down in five steps. Number one, start by asking the question, what are things only I can do? Now, don't confuse important with must be done by you. Recurring tasks, admin work, project management, even certain decisions should be delegated to somebody else. Number two, determine who you should delegate to. This person shows both the character and the competency to do the task. Don't just pick who's available, pick who's able. You should ask some questions like, are they mature enough to know their own limitations? Do they know when to ask for help? Do they consistently show excellence? Do they have the diligence to actually maintain this thing? Number three, communicate what's being delegated. This is where delegation can break down. Make sure you give the context when you give the task. Let them know about the opportunity that's before them by doing this task. Explain why they were chosen for the responsibility and be specific about what you need, what you expect, and why it matters. Number four, it's time to do the handoff. First, do the task while they watch you do it and let them ask questions. Next, have them do the task while you coach them through it. Then, have them do the task alone while you just check in periodically. That's accountability. It's not micromanagement. Number five, coach them and give them feedback. Now, here's a few do's and don'ts for giving feedback. Do be direct. Be constructive. But also be kind and dignified. Do communicate to the team that they have authority. Do be a coach. Don't be a cop. Don't be sarcastic or make a joke of it. Don't be passive aggressive and don't hover. If you do these five steps, delegation isn't going to be the dirty word it is in organization where it's done poorly. We'll get right back to that episode, but first for a lot of entrepreneurs, healthcare is one of the most unpredictable line items in the budget. That's why I want you to look at Christian Healthcare Ministries. CHM is not health insurance. It's a budget-friendly, faith-based alternative to insurance. Instead of premiums that keep climbing and coverage that keep shrinking, CHM gives you a more predictable monthly cost, with programs starting at just $115 a month. Lower monthly costs can free up capital to build your margin, grow your team, and reinvest in your business. And, as a faith-based organization, CHM aligns with Christian business owners who want their healthcare dollars handled in a way that reflects their values. That's stewardship, not just savings. CHM even offers a groups program for small businesses that want to provide a healthcare sharing option to their teams. And right now, CHM is offering new members a 50% credit towards their first month of membership. So go to chministries.org/budget and use the promo code Entrez. That's chministries.org/budget and use the promo code Entrez. Now let's get back to our episode. Now circling back to what I said before, if you don't have a team or your team isn't ready for this, you still have options. You can outsource. You can find a contractor. A lot of people use a company like Belay that can help you source that help. Do your due diligence. Ask for referrals. Vet their background and make sure they align with your business. This is important. Don't outsource your finances unless you know and trust that person deeply. It gets a lot of people in trouble. The wrong person in a financial seat can wreck your business. You can also automate stuff. Use tools and systems to remove yourself from repetitive tasks. For example, email marketing, software, scheduling tools, follow-up texts, even AI tools can help with admin stuff. Of course, you can just delete the task. Yeah, that's actually a thing. If the task is a drain, if it's barely profitable or it's unnecessary, it may not be worth doing at all. So that's how you delegate. Number one, identify what only you can do. Number two, choose the right person. Three, communicate clearly. Number four, do the handoff with intention. Number five, keep on coaching. And yeah, it might feel uncomfortable at first. Delegation is a skill, not a switch. But you got this, and so does your team member, who's probably been waiting for you to give them the task so that they can grow.

Speaker 1:
[06:29] Listen, you probably don't need to hustle harder, and you don't need more hours in the day. You just need a trusted team member to delegate to. And you need the courage to let go. But if this whole concept still feels weird, I get it. I sucked at delegating when I first started leading my business. That's why my team put together a delegation crash course. It's a short, powerful training that walks you through how to entrust your business to the right people in the right way in under 30 minutes. That way you can finally get some breathing room, and maybe even finally go on vacation. Just click the link in the show notes. And hey, delegation is an incredible tool, but it's not the only one that can help you take control of your time. There's a framework that President Eisenhower used when he was serving in World War II. And my team, plus a lot of others, still use it today to separate urgent tasks from important ones. Keep watching this next video to learn his secret, or check out the link in the description. That's all for today. Thanks for joining us, folks. I'm Dave Ramsey, and this is EntreLeadership.