Melanie Benson asked:
Imagine what it would be like if you could run a profitable six, seven or eight figure business and enjoy as much freedom as you desire? For many, the moment you decide to grow your business you simultaneously think of all the hard work ahead. You begin to question the dream and wonder if it’s really worth it.
That’s because you erroneously believe that the only path to making more money is working more. You fear you will have to give up on your precious dreams of spending more time with the kids, traveling to exotic vacations or even just having the freedom to enjoy your Tuesday any way you like.
What if you could tap into a simple way to achieve your dream – without having to work more?
Well, that’s what I did. I found a simple way to accomplish my bigger dream by leveraging the power of a virtual team. A virtual team can be virtual assistants, contractors or experts who work from their own home to help you accomplish your tasks in record time.
The problem is that many people know about this strategy but still don’t do it. I hear reasons like, “I can’t afford it, I don’t have time to teach someone else, I can do it myself, etc.” But the one that always breaks my heart is, “I’m afraid to let go of the control. What if my team doesn’t do it right?”
Control-Freak-Itis is a common syndrome among entrepreneurs around the world. It’s almost like some type of genetic code is implanted that says, “No one can do it as good as me so why bother!”
Actually, if you have a dream to make consistent revenue over six figures while enjoying a lifestyle then you MUST learn to let go so others can help you. You will need to build a team. It’s impossible to experience your desired success any other way. There will never be enough time and energy to accomplish it all.
So how do you overcome Control-Freak-Itis so you can delegate effectively?
First, you have to change your MINDSET.
You might do something well but that is not a reason to do it. Timothy Ferriss, author of The 4-Hour Workweek, says “You need to create space to do what matters most.” For instance, if you are good at tweaking your website but you are worth over $100/hour when working with a client or doing an interview, every hour you spend on your website is a waste of your time because you could pay someone $35/hour to fix it.
That means you have to come to terms that just because you are good at something doesn’t mean you should do it. Would Donald Trump fix his own site? Nope.
Second, you have to know WHAT’S MORE IMPORTANT.
Is it more important to get done perfectly or to get done? The answer should be the second one but many of us waste weeks on end trying to get things perfect. There is a great saying, “Good is good enough!”
Recently I began to delegate more and more of managing my team to a couple of key individuals. It allows me to stay focused on growing and creating rather than being a manager. Does it always get done EXACTLY the way I want? No. Does it get done in a way I can live with? Yes. And as my friend Ali Brown, says, “No smaller children or animals were harmed.” =-)
Third, you have to hire the RIGHT PEOPLE.
The single greatest mistake that entrepreneurs make when building their team is to hire from their gut alone. Our instincts play an important role but when interviewing candidates, there is a specific process you must use to ensure you get the right people in the right roles. Otherwise, chaos and disappointment can ensue.
In our last Virtual Team Building Tele-Bootcamp, a participant uncovered (finally) that the person who was not completing projects on time and who was avoiding her calls was not a bad person, just a bad fit for the role. When you discover how to identify the RIGHT candidates, then your team begins to work like magic.
Fourth, you have to have SYSTEMS.
A good system defines how and when something will be done. The idea is to be able to replicate an activity so it gets done the way YOU WANT. With proper systems, you can pretty much hand off anything to anyone (even a 16 year old) who can take care of it for you.
Systems can be created for how you respond to an email or phone call, the thought process you use to evaluate an opportunity or even a script for following up with a potential client. The reason many business owners shy away from giving up control is that they have not yet created a system so they don’t know HOW to get someone to do it the way they want.
Fifth, you have to have TRUST.
Trust is what comes when you have the four steps above. Trust is earned through consistent, predictable behavior that is aligned with your target goals. Trust is what allows the Control-Freak-Itis to melt away so you can truly accomplish massive results with a team.
If you find yourself slipping back into micro-management or controlling behaviors, it’s likely that your trust has been compromised and it’s time to revisit one of the previous steps. The important thing is that you recognize the signs early enough to repair the relationship so you can go back into trust.