Let’s make one thing clear: If you’re an interior design business owner, and you’re doing tasks like bookkeeping, social media, or any other administrative tasks, you’re wasting your time. If your design skills and aesthetic are essential to the business, you should be able to devote the majority of your time to what makes the most revenue for your business; that being working on design projects. In this article, we’ll lay out how to master the art of delegation so you can create and deploy an expert team to handle the tasks that you shouldn’t have to worry about.
The Challenge of Letting Go
Many design business owners are resistant to letting go of these tasks. Even when they know that they should be designing rather than tending to their bookkeeping, it can be hard to let go of control. The first step to becoming a master of delegation is to be willing to trust someone else to handle tasks. This can be difficult, but it helps to understand that rather than losing control, you’ll actually be gaining control. Instead of controlling the family minutae, you’ll gain more control over the creative process and over the greater vision of the business. Delegation is not giving up something, rather, it is empowering and freeing. It will set you on the path to becoming a true manager instead of a doer.
What to Delegate
Deciding what to delegate should actually be an easy task. Ask yourself the following question: “What in my business can only I do?”. Essentially, identify why you’re the one in charge instead of working at someone else’s design business! In most cases, this is going to be leading the design on projects. Delegate away tasks like project management, client communications, sourcing, and general administrative tasks. If you’re not sure what tasks are good to take off your plate, try time-tracking. Seeing how you spent your time during the week can be eye-opening, and it may make you realize just how much time you’re wasting.
Building a Trustworthy Team
We’ve written at length about how to build a great team. You should strive to hire a team that complements your strengths, is a good cultural fit, and understands your vision for the business.
For more details on hiring, be sure to check out some of most relevant resources on the topic:
- Interior Design Hiring: How to Know Who to Hire First
- How to Build a Team That Wants to Stick Around
- Hiring an Experienced Employee is Usually the Better Choice
Plan and Communicate
Another major challenge when it comes to delegating tasks is properly communicating what you want done and how to do it. “Your way” can often feel like the only right way. First of all, keep an open mind about this. If you’re hiring employees who are more suited to the task at hand, they likely know a better way to accomplish that task. Be willing to listen to new ideas.
It’s also important to create a plan and set clear expectations around delegation. Let employees know what you want from them. Don’t assume anything. Write down step-by-step instructions as if you were explaining to a child how to do the task. Chances are, you’ll write down something that is obvious to you, but not to everyone else. Work with your new team to establish a project management workflow that allows them to accomplish their tasks efficiently while also letting you stay abreast of how tasks are progressing, without micromanaging.
Avoiding Pitfalls
While this can be freeing, there are a few areas where it could all fall apart. Make sure that you actually let go of control. Allow your employees to learn, even if they stumble a few times. As long as they’re learning the process and eventually freeing up your time, you’re on the right track. Reward success, give feedback often, and ask for feedback in return. On the other hand, don’t hold onto an employee if they’re not meeting expectations after an onboarding period. The goal is to free up your time. If you’re forced to spend more time hand-holding and correcting, then you’re not really saving time.
Delegation for Growth
Delegation unlocks your potential—potential that was waiting to be released, if only you had the time! Once your tasks are properly delegated, you’ll have more opportunity for your creative vision and business development. You’ll be able to come up with and implement new ideas to grow your firm, and have more resources to do it. Your newly hired team members will also be on a journey of improvement. While they may start out doing somewhat menial administrative tasks, some of these employees may one day grow and develop professionally and take on more responsibility in the future.
Consider the tasks that take up your time each week. Are there any that you could delegate away to an employee, or to an outsourced contractor? Let us know in the comments of this post!