By Younas Chaudhary
If you are a perfectionist like me, the art of delegation will be hard. I must confess it took me a decade after launching my business to stop hoarding tasks and start delegating them to team members.
The art of delegating work is key to success in running any business or home and I learned it the hard way. For the first five years, I was a paranoid manager who did not trust my co-workers and had to be involved in every task they did. I was aggressive, impatient and demanding. I am sure that my co-workers would have been fed up with me for hounding them on even minor tasks.
Later, as my business expanded, I realized I could not manage everything that was going on in our oil and gas fields scattered throughout the United States. Letting go of my control was a painful and unwanted decision, especially allowing others to handle things that I thought only I could do!
Time and experience taught me that I could no longer manage like a detective, and I have to trust my employees with their skillsets. Perhaps I was insecure or behaving poorly and did not want to let go of my control over the businesses that were expanding rapidly.
Over time, I realized I had to let go and trust people because I couldn’t do everything on my own. Soon, I changed from an aggressive boss to being more relaxed, open minded, and trusting of my co-workers. I started delegating tasks, explaining to people what they needed to do, and got out of their way.
This approach has paid dividends not just in terms of money but in building a culture and a better workplace. Employees who have been with us for decades jokingly tell newcomers: “Do you know how hard it was to work with this guy at one time?”
Age has made me realize the importance of delegating. But, if you ask me do I regret the initial years, I’d say no. I learned a lot and those years hardened me, taught me to face tough situations and I built a solid work ethic.
Besides, I was kind of an outlier, an alien competing for bids against locals and large oil companies who were much bigger and more sophisticated than me. I did what I could to move forward aggressively because all I had was three $10 dollar bills in my pocket when I came to Canada. I wanted to make something out of myself and others around me. Stay blessed!
Disclaimer
The views, thoughts, and opinions expressed in this article are my own and do not represent the opinions of any entity with which I have been, am now, or will be affiliated. Further, I make no warranty regarding the accuracy or effectiveness of my recommendations, and readers are advised to consult other advisors as well as their own judgments in making business decisions.
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