I woke up very early this morning in the middle of a bad dream. In the dream, my new assistant called at the last minute to say she had left town for a missions trip to help those stranded in New Orleans. I panicked! We have a big report due out this week for a client and I had assigned (or delegated as I had proudly told myself) some pieces to her. While I want to support anyone who wants to help others, I also knew I would have to juggle even more this week and would be a basket case. Then I realized I was dreaming!
As I sat at my desk earlier than usual this morning , I realized this really could happen. What would I do? Should I not delegate critical or more important tasks to my new assistant?
The answer was and is a resounding…NO! When you first start delegating, fear is common. Fear the job won’t get done on time (it will be wrong the first time and corrections will make you late), it will take longer than normal (since you’ll have to look over everything), the client may not like it (since they are used to your work) and that you’ll have to discuss different ways of doing the work (their presentation style is not as thorough as yours).
We all face this fear in the beginning…so get over it. I know I can’t grow and do the tasks I really am suited to do if I don’t let my assistant try. I also know in the beginning, I need to allot extra time to explain the job, review periodically and make sure we are communicating. It’s just part of the process. Yes, the client may sense it is slightly different, but if it meets their needs, who cares?!?
We all need to push past the fears of learning to delegate. Don’t let your nightmare turn into a reality.
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