Develop with Delegation

Delegation is a way of sharing authority and responsibility. More important, it's a way to develop people. 

Yielding responsibility is difficult, especially for entrepreneurs. An entrepreneur becomes highly self-reliant in the early stages of a venture when delegation is seldom an option. That fosters the habit that "if you want it done right, do it yourself." 

Early entrepreneurship requires self-confidence, while delegation requires confidence in others. Delegation, in turn, provides an opportunity for employees to build their own confidence. It's a chain reaction that, in highly entrepreneurial organizations, involves all employee levels. 

A beginning entrepreneurship requires establishment of a strong personal foundation. Mature entrepreneurship requires the transfer of that foundation to others. In the middle lies a continuous process of preparing successors for the day when the founder will pass the baton. 

Preparing successors is difficult under the best of conditions. We can falter in several ways–by not preparing a successor, by preparing a successor too late, thereby not having enough time to test, or by choosing the wrong successor. Each phase of the entrepreneurial cycle is difficult, but for most entrepreneurs, providing for succession is difficult with a capital D. 

The MBA in Delegation

To Doug Tompkins, co-founder of Esprit de Corp, MBA means Managing by Being Away. I like that. 

Unquestionably, entrepreneurial successes are created when leaders have the courage to hand the steering wheel to prepared associates, then get out of their way. While enlightened delegation focuses on developing talent rather than reducing the founder's workload, delegation does have the clear benefit of allowing the entrepreneur to graze in other pastures. Unless retirement is closing in, the true entrepreneurial leader uses the flexibility to learn, explore, and prepare for a new frontier. 

Delegation is an absolute requirement for an entrepreneurial achiever who wants to create considerable wealth and who occasionally makes an entrepreneurial mark in more than one industry. The road to that level of entrepreneurial contribution has only one route, a route that travels through delegation. 

Here are eight necessary steps in effective transitional delegation: 

1. Prepare a strategic plan annually. It contains the organization's guidelines, goals, and objectives for the coming year. The plan should specify who is responsible for what, and on what date. 
2. Be accessible. The new leader needs the comfort of knowing you're available when needed. 
3. Broaden the feeling of ownership. References like my company are inappropriate. The most desirable type of ownership is the pride of feeling like an owner, and is created through empowerment. 
4. Endow the new leader with at least as much authority as responsibility. 
5. Create pay incentives that match the job description. Tie compensation incentives and the job description so closely together that it's obvious how the new leader is paid and what is expected. 
6. Coach and counsel. Prepare your observations and discuss them one on one. Allow for differences in the new leader's approach. 
7. Be publicly supportive. Reinforce the new leader's impact with the group. ‍
8. Be gone part of the time. Become involved in new interests, expand your horizons (maybe even go to the mountains in Colorado and write a book). Renew the entrepreneurial juices while letting the new leader run the show without you.