Delegation is critical for success in any successful business. Yet I regularly meet business owners who really struggle with it. I hear the same reasons over and again: “it’s hard to find people you can trust”, “no-one can do at well as I can”, “it takes too long to train people”, “the work is too confidential”. The list goes on – do you recognise any so far?
For me, the challenge boils down to trust. Trust is the foundation of all business relationships. If you don’t trust your employees, you won’t be able to grow. And if they don’t trust you, they will never give you their best.
It’s important that both parties in a relationship feel trusted by each other. So how do you build trust? Well, a good first step is to look at the Trust Equation.
“You can measure Trust?” I hear you ask. Well to a certain extent, yes you can.
The formula goes like this:
Where Reliability = Keeping promises and commitments as much as possible – doing work regularly to a high standard and on-time.
Credibility = being properly qualified and experienced to do the work
Intimacy = having an emotional connection that makes people feel safe and comfortable being themselves around each other. It also allows them to share private thoughts and feelings without fear of judgment or rejection.
Self (or self-orientation in the textbooks!) = the extent to which each party is focussed on what’s in it for themselves and how concerned they are for others.
So, if you don’t feel comfortable with delegating ask yourself what the issue is by looking at the equation. Does the person who you want to delegate to have a good track record? If not, why not? Can you help them improve? Are they qualified? if not can you train them? Equally, have you shown reliability? Are you credible in your role? So far so logical but then comes the most important but most difficult to define part – Intimacy. Do you feel that you know each other? Do each of you feel comfortable sharing?
A while back I employed someone who, over a period of several months, told me absolutely nothing about her life – not a thing. While it is not compulsory to share things from outside work it does make it difficult to build a relationship with someone about whom you know nothing. Not their hobbies, what they did over the weekend, what music they like. I realise now that the main component of trust was missing and that is why in the end, we parted company.
Intimacy is created by sharing stories about family and life experiences. It can also be encouraged by talking about hopes, dreams, and fears; discussing past experiences and successes; sharing opinions; asking questions; playing games.
But even if you have all 3 of the essential trust building ingredients, they count for nothing if one of you is driven for personal advantage. Trust cannot thrive where one party is self-serving.
Trust is a very profound human emotion it is based on a combination of instinct and experience. By working through the Trust Equation, you will hopefully be able to deepen relationships in a way that helps you to delegate.