Did you hear the one about the control freak? Never mind, he’ll want to tell you himself.
It’s easy to make jokes about the person who just cannot resist getting their hands on everything, fixing tiny mistakes and taking over little jobs to make sure they’re done “right.”
But it’s not so funny under the surface, is it? As the captain of this ship, you’re worried about everything from where the navigator is heading to whether the deck chairs are getting too much sun. It’s exhausting.
You’d love to let go and let someone else handle it, but what if they mess it up? What if the deck chairs end up in the sea? Terrifying. No, better you take care of it. That way you know it will be done right.
You’re on the path to burnout and you know it, but there just doesn’t seem to be any way out.
Grab onto this life preserver, my friend, and we’ll pull you up onto the good ship Delegation.
Is being a control freak bad?
The good ship Delegation is a judgment-free zone. We’re not here to change your personality. We like you just the way you are. But we would like to see you relax and enjoy life a little.
Let’s start with what your controlling tendencies are doing to you. Your dream job is becoming a nightmare. The business you wanted to run is now running you. From your morning shower to putting on your PJs, all you can think about is work.
Not much fun and fulfillment, is there?
Aside from your personal martyrdom, let’s talk about what your need for control is doing to your business.
First, as captain, it’s your job to keep an eye out for threats and opportunities. While you’re busy arranging deck chairs, who’s watching for icebergs?
Second, maybe you can do everything. But you can’t do everything well. There are limits to your time, your energy and even your talent.
(No offense. You’re very talented. But even you are better at some things than others.) That means your business is running unevenly. The time you’re spending outside your zone of genius is holding you back from the places where you could excel.
Finally, you are the bottleneck that keeps your business from growing. Maybe it feels easier to handle everything yourself than to train someone else to do it. You’re already so busy, who has time for training?
Let’s break it down.
Let’s say you spend just 30 minutes a day arranging the deck chairs (or updating the database, or reviewing invoices, or whatever). That’s minor. Miniscule. Hardly any time at all.
Except…
Thirty minutes a day is two-and-a-half hours a week.
That’s 10 hours a month.
What could you do if you had an extra day every month?
Assuming you work 50 weeks a year, that’s 125 hours – 16 eight-hour days. Spending one day training someone else to handle the deck chairs would give you an extra three weeks a year to watch for icebergs and explore new lands.
The Control Freak’s Guide to Letting Go
OK, Cap’n. Time to channel your inner Elsa and Let It Go. But how?
Know what your time is worth
How much is the company paying you to arrange deck chairs? Add together your salary and the cost of missed opportunities. The company might be paying $200 an hour to accomplish a $25 an hour job.
Have a chat with yourself
What’s the actual worst thing that might happen if you delegate a task? Be really specific about what you’re afraid of. Then you can figure out how to address it.
📆 Afraid deadlines won’t be met? Monitor progress with a schedule of check-ins.
🎯 Afraid the deck chairs will end up in the sea? Create detailed instructions and delegate to people with a good track record.
⭐ Afraid you’ll be bored? Identify some strategic, big-picture activities you can take on once your time is free.
Choose tasks to delegate
Rank the items on your to-do list by their impact on the business and who is able to do them.
Focus your energy on high-impact activities that require your creativity or expertise.
The first activities you should delegate are low-impact or repetitive tasks that are easy to learn – like answering phones or making travel arrangements.
As you get more comfortable delegating, you can let go of high-impact tasks that are outside your expertise – like bookkeeping or marketing.
Focus on outcomes, not processes
This can be scary. Make it easier by documenting detailed operating procedures so nothing falls through the cracks. Set a schedule of milestones and deadlines so you can check on progress.
Don’t check in at unscheduled times with vague questions like, “How’s it going?” They don’t give you real information and make people feel like you don’t trust them.
Choose the right people
Delegate by ability and availability. Susie might have the most free time, but her lack of people skills makes her a terrible choice for answering phones. Pam might be the most reliable, but if you delegate everything to her, she’ll be overburdened.
If you don’t have enough qualified people on your team, use part-time contractors to pick up the slack until you’ve grown enough to hire more staff. Professional contractors already have all the skills and experience you need, so they can ease your burden with little to no training.
Sail into your glorious future
Does giving up control feel like giving up power? Then you’re looking at it backward.
When you turn over minor tasks to other people, you’re harnessing their power and adding it to your own. You still have all your time and energy, and now you’re using theirs as well. Delegating well makes you more powerful, not less.
It’s crazy, but by giving up some control, you will feel in control for the first time in forever. You’ll run the business instead of it running you. You’ll have time and energy for yourself, your relationships and your big ideas. When you loosen your grip, you open the throttle and let your business grow.
