Lessons in delegation from Richard Branson's right hand woman
Posted by Penni Pike in Staff on Fri, 16/09/2011 - 10:22
The key is good delegation. Making the decision to delegate so that you can get on with the important parts of running your business is a great first step but how do you do it? A lot of busy business owners struggle with where to begin when it comes to handing over work.
- How to take a step back and look at what it is you need to delegate
- Tips on how to gain maximum prodcutivity from delegating your day-to-day tasks
- Delegating effectively will free up more time so that you can get on with running your business
Penni Pike, executive assistant to Sir Richard Branson for 31 years, explains how mastering the art of effective delegation is essential to business success.
Running a small business is an infinitely challenging job. Between dealing with enquiries, balancing your books, updating your Twitter accouunt and looking after your clients, it's often easy to lose sight of the bigger picture: growing your business successfully.
The key is good delegation. Making the decision to delegate so that you can get on with the important parts of running your business is a great first step but how do you do it? A lot of busy business owners struggle with where to begin when it comes to handing over work.During my years working as Sir Richard Branson's executive assistant, he would delegate tasks to me very effectively. This is what enabled him to grow one of the world's largest brands, Virgin. Now I'm working with a virtual PA company, successful delegation is just as important for the 200 business owners that we support.
It's simple to start with; look at all that you do on a daily basis and select the menial tasks that take up your time but don't necessarily help grow your business. Remember that handing over the mundane tasks you do every week or even every day is a great idea, because you only have to delegate them once, and the benefit will be yours forevermore.
Here are some tips on handing over work effectively whether it's to a team member, your assistant or any other form of outsourced help:
- Take some time to get to know the person you are delegating to. Understand the way they work but, most importantly, ensure that they understand the ins and outs of your business. The more they know about you, your business and the way you prefer to work, the more they’ll help to increase your business productivity
- Let them know what your priorities are. Just as if you were prioritising your own to-do list, make sure that the person in question knows which tasks need dealing with above others
- Clear and regular communication is key. Make sure your assistant knows exactly what you want them to do and how you want them to do it. If you want them to work on a task for a specific amount of time or meet a certain deadline, tell them. It’ll work better for both of you
- Work out a reporting system – if someone is doing an ongoing task for you, state when you want them to report back to you, if at all. That way you won’t feel the need to check up on them and they won’t feel harassed; instead you’ll get timely, reassuring updates
- Remember that there is no task too small! Everything you need help with in order to grow your business is very important, even the smaller things - and it’s often these tasks that add up to become very time-consuming
- Last, but definitely not least; give feedback. If you feel something could have been handled better or done differently, don't be afraid to say so. It will make your assistant more productive for you in the future
- Trust me, if you use the pointers above you’ll really notice the difference it makes to your day-to-day life and your business overall. While delegation can be daunting, as a business owner you need to be free look after key important clients, fight fires or plan for the future and not stuck in the day to day
Penni Pike is now a key advisor for virtual PA company Time etc.
Image copyright: Time etc Ltd.
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