Are you delegating or micromanaging?

delegating

Imagine you’re a ship’s captain, trying to make sure your vessel stays on course. 

If you spend all your time at the helm, you’ll miss out on other important duties. However, if you ask someone else to do the steering and they aren’t up to snuff, your ship will probably end up off course.

Many of us struggle to strike that perfect balance between delegating tasks and keeping a close watch. But knowing what healthy delegation and effective oversight look like is the first step to preventing your ship from going awry.

Here’s how to stop chasing your tail when it comes to managing freelancers and contractors.

Where’s the line?

While handing off routine or highly specialised tasks to contractors is a brilliant way to free up your time, finding that sweet spot between yeeting something off your to-do list without a care in the world and keeping on top of outsourced work can be as slippery as a bar of soap in a hot bath.

Think of delegation as passing a teammate the baton in a relay race. You’re trusting them to run their part of the race so you can win – so you definitely don’t want to stifle their movement and creativity.

Oversight, however, would be coaching your teammate from the sidelines. You can’t get on the track yourself as it would derail the team’s progress. Leaving them to it, but offering feedback and guidance when needed, ensures you maintain your team’s standards.

Outside of all this, turning a blind eye can be a recipe for disaster. It can be frustrating for both parties if you set someone free to roam in your business with no direction. Here, miscommunication, lack of trust, and skill gaps can create a hot mess.

So, how do you strike the right balance?

Maintaining balance isn’t always a piece of cake, but it’s doable.

Overcome issues from the jump by clearly communicating your expectations through detailed project briefs, investing time in building relationships with regular catch-ups, putting effective project processes in place, and ensuring contractors have the right skills and resources.

Ultimately, trust is the glue that holds the client-freelancer relationship together.

Clients need to be able to trust that their freelancers will do what they’ve promised and freelancers need to be able to trust that their clients won’t become backseat drivers breathing down their necks every second.

After all, nobody likes snakes – or people who lead from behind.

Fostering trust and collaboration isn’t about being all buddy-buddy because you hate conflict (don’t we all!) but about showing respect, providing constructive feedback, and celebrating shared successes. It’s not always easy, but it’s worth it.

Become a delegating pro

Managing outsourced workers doesn’t have to feel like a tug of war. With the right blend of delegation and oversight, you can keep your (business) ship on course, without having to be at the helm all the time.

The more you implement these strategies, the more your working relationships will bloom, boosting productivity and leading your business to thrive.

Time is money – so invest yours wisely!

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Melody Sadé

I'm the Engineer of Calm® - a writer, consultant and educator, currently living in London. Click here to get in touch with me.

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Melody, aka the Engineer of Calm®, is a London-based commercial writer.

Bringing extensive experience from various prominent organisations, she offers a human-centred approach to writing for a modern audience.