Here's how you can determine which tasks to delegate in your business.

The notion of 'core tasks' might be more limiting than liberating. While it's essential to identify key responsibilities, consider that even strategic planning and stakeholder relationships can sometimes be effectively delegated. Elon Musk famously delegates significant aspects of SpaceX and Tesla to trusted executives, allowing him to focus on innovation. Question your core assumptions to unlock potential growth areas you might be clinging to unnecessarily.

Here's how I do this for my company and help my clients do the same. Take a blank paper, divide it into 4 sections, and make these 4 solid lists: 1. Tasks done on a daily basis 2. Taks done on a weekly basis 3. Tasks done on a fortnightly basis 4. Taks done on a monthly basis Now in the first round, check mark 20% of tasks that you think could be delegated. Don't try to delegate everything in one go. Strictly, no more than 20% of tasks. If you are learning or delegating for the first time, the hard limit is 10%.

Para determinar quais tarefas delegar em sua empresa, comece identificando atividades que não exigem sua expertise exclusiva e que podem ser realizadas por outros membros da equipe. Analise tarefas repetitivas, administrativas ou de baixo valor estratégico. Avalie as habilidades e capacidades dos funcionários para garantir que a delegação seja eficaz. Priorize delegar tarefas que sobrecarregam sua agenda, permitindo que você se concentre em atividades de alto impacto e decisão estratégica. Acompanhe e forneça feedback para assegurar a qualidade e o desenvolvimento contínuo da equipe.

Para determinar quais tarefas delegar em sua empresa, comece identificando atividades que são repetitivas, administrativas ou fora do seu núcleo de competências. Avalie o tempo gasto em cada tarefa e seu impacto no negócio. Priorize a delegação de tarefas que não exigem sua intervenção direta para liberar tempo para atividades estratégicas. Considere as habilidades e capacidades de sua equipe ao delegar, garantindo que as tarefas sejam atribuídas a pessoas com a competência necessária. Monitore e ajuste conforme necessário para otimizar a eficiência e os resultados.

Pinpoint the core tasks that are essential to your business's success and those that only you, as the business owner or leader, can perform. These tasks typically involve high-level decision-making, strategic planning, or specialized expertise.

One thing that I found was helpful in evaluating capabilities is to break out the skill sets necessary for each employee to be their most effective at their job. Not just assuming that your most productive workers have a grasp on all skill sets that are required. This is important because often times we tend to assume that our producers are capable of taking on a task that are not their strength. This can be detrimental to timelines, productivity, and possibly kill the motivation of your team. Assessing skills and capabilities is a tedious task done through 1-on-1’s, observations, and other evaluations. Knowing what task to assign to your strongest team member will keep balance and drive success.

Truly, one thing I've found helpful when it comes to delegating task is awareness of your team members strength and expertise. Knowing the capabilities of each team members gives you a lead on who to give a certain task to and who to not. It's practical- there's no way you'll give out a technical task to a non-technical team member. The task will eventually be unsuccessful. Rather, allocating the task to the right person with the right skill set will set the ball rolling. However, there's no way you will know this without first understanding the dynamics of your team.

I do this in a bit of a different way. After making a list of all the tasks in 4 different sections (description above), now is the next step involving skills required. After you have shortlisted tasks that you want to delegate, make a list of skills required to accomplish those tasks. Once you list down skills, club the skills you found for most of the tasks. Now, create a team member persona just like we create a customer persona listing down exactly how your team member should be and have certain skills. You will never find your team member as expert as you are (this is the mistake that most founders make).

Evaluate the skills and expertise of your team members. Which tasks align with their strengths and experience? Delegating tasks that match their skill sets ensures efficient completion and empowers your team.

Identify tasks that consume a significant amount of your time but do not necessarily require your expertise. Administrative duties, such as scheduling meetings, handling emails, and managing routine paperwork, often fall into this category. Delegating these tasks to an assistant or administrative staff can free up your time for more strategic activities. For example, Elon Musk delegates routine administrative tasks to his assistants to focus on high-impact projects across his various ventures.

Consider the time commitment required for each task. Are there repetitive or time-consuming tasks that could be handled by someone else, freeing you up to focus on more strategic initiatives?

When delegating tasks as an entrepreneur you need to consider the impact and the size of your organization. Entrepreneurs tend to have to do everything early on in their startup. Their challenge is how to delegate tasks as they grow, even when their tasks are their strengths. In small sized organizations the entrepreneur is doing everything. In medium size organizations the entrepreneur is delegating what they don't want to do and focusing on their strengths. In large organizations the entrepreneur has to let go of even their strengths in order to focus on being the vision and culture lead of the organization. Delegation is key as you grow.

When considering which tasks to delegate in your business, it's vital to assess their impact. By focusing on high-impact tasks that drive growth and success, you can ensure that your attention is directed where it matters most. Delegating routine, necessary tasks not only frees up your time but empowers your team members to take ownership and contribute meaningfully to the business. This shift in responsibility fosters a sense of engagement and investment, creating a more dynamic and motivated team. Ultimately, by effectively delegating tasks, you can elevate the overall productivity and impact of your business while nurturing a culture of shared ownership and achievement.

Assess the impact of each task on your business goals. Are there tasks that, while important, don't directly contribute to your core objectives? These might be good candidates for delegation.

Setting priorities is the most important part here. Always set priorities with ICE concept. That means you need to rate each task based on three parameters Impact, Confidence, and Ease. Rate out of 1 for each parameter and then average out the total. Higher the score, higher the priority. I have customized this ICE formula into ICEU adding the urgency parameter which works the best for us.

Delegation isn't a fire-and-forget exercise. Retain oversight of what you've delegated, ensure they understand the scope and timescales associated with the tasks, and check in with them along the way. It's too late finding out after the deadline that it has been missed, perhaps wildly so. Delegation not managed properly is actually a step back and it increases resistance to future delegation efforts, leading to the quagmire of "give it back, I'll just do it myself".

Prioritize tasks based on their urgency and importance. Delegate tasks that are less critical or time-sensitive, while retaining those that require your immediate attention or expertise.

Creating rigid systems can stifle innovation and flexibility. Systems and processes are crucial, but overly rigid ones can limit creativity and adaptability. Steve Jobs famously avoided overly structured processes at Apple to foster innovation. Strive for a balance between structure and flexibility to maintain both efficiency and creative freedom.

My team has heard me mention this one thousands of times but using the Einsenhower Matrix is the best system to determine what to do, delegate, decide, drop based on urgency and importance. A critical part of doing this right is realizing that importance and urgency are relative. You should not try to classify things as "high" or "low" but rather place items according to their relative importance and urgency. Using post-its to do this makes for a very powerful prioritization session with your direct reports.

Develop clear processes and guidelines for delegated tasks. Ensure your team has the necessary resources, information, and support to complete the tasks successfully. This minimizes the risk of errors and ensures consistent outcomes.

Business owners are often reluctant to delegate tasks as they want it done "their way". They believe that their way is the only right way. There's a simple solution. Document the process as you want it done. Warts and all. Then give those steps and notes to someone to follow. But... allow them to tweak them if they spot inefficiencies, inaccuracies or if they can suggest improvements. Then delegate it to someone else and see how it goes for them. Refine, update the documentation, and repeat. "Your way" has now just got better. And, even better than that, it's now laid out in a simple step-by-step process that anyone can follow. So you don't have to.

To determine which tasks to delegate in your business, start by identifying tasks that are time-consuming, repetitive, or outside your expertise. Prioritize delegating those that do not require your personal touch or critical decision-making, allowing you to focus on strategic activities. Consider the skills and strengths of your team members, assigning tasks that match their capabilities. Effective delegation not only enhances efficiency but also empowers employees, fostering a collaborative and growth-oriented work environment.

Delegation isn't just about tasks; it's about trust and empowerment. Richard Branson emphasizes that delegating isn't merely about offloading work but about trusting and empowering your team. This approach fosters a culture of ownership and accountability. Empower your team with trust and autonomy to drive innovation and engagement, ultimately leading to greater success.

In addition to the above steps, consider the following factors when deciding which tasks to delegate. Evaluate the potential for employee growth and development through delegation. Delegating tasks that provide learning opportunities can help in employee skill enhancement and motivation. Also, assess the risks associated with delegating certain tasks and implement checks and balances to mitigate these risks. Finally, ensure you maintain open communication channels for feedback and support, enabling your team to seek guidance when needed and ensuring delegated tasks align with your overall business objectives.

Don't be afraid to experiment with delegation. Start with smaller tasks and gradually increase the complexity as you gain confidence in your team's abilities. Regularly review your delegation strategy and make adjustments as needed to optimize your workflow and achieve your business goals.