Day 2 of FAQ week.
Today’s question hits a nerve with almost every owner I talk to.
“You talk about building a business that runs without me but I’ve tried delegating before and every time I do the quality drops and clients complain. How is what you’re teaching any different from the delegation advice I’ve already heard and failed at?”
Man it’s frustrating.
You’ve given what to you are simple and clear instructions and they are struggling. Taking minutes to process what you can do in seconds. So you jump in because you need to move on and you do it yourself to the standard you expect because that’s the only way you know it gets done right.
But your employee is still on crutches.
And when you need him to sprint, he ends up face down in the mud with his legs dangling in the air and the crutches strewn all around him.
I’m being a bit tongue in cheek here, but when I talk about delegation it’s not what others teach, from the extreme hand holding on one side to throwing the baby in the sea and hoping it doesn’t drown on the other.
What I teach is mentorship not delegation.
Mentorship with a four-step process where the employee takes on more and more responsibility and authority while you gain more and more freedom to spend your time elsewhere.
But it’s not just about handing off tasks and walking away.
Your employee also takes on more accountability so they can carry more of the burden while being answerable to the quality and standards you want delivered.
Delegation is key to making a business independent of you, but it only works when it truly frees you while enhancing the experience your customers receive.
So yes, you will hear some of the same words and get introduced to similar concepts. But your experience will be so different you’ll ask yourself why you didn’t try this years ago.
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P.S. Want to make your business more attractive to run…and that investors would love to own?
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George Sotiropoulos addresses the common objection from business owners that delegation has failed them before, distinguishing between traditional delegation approaches and a four-step mentorship process that transfers responsibility, authority, and accountability to employees while freeing the owner. This connects to the principles taught in End Burnout — Fall in Love with Your Business Again.