Unlocking Business Success: Embrace your Strengths and Delegate your Weaknesses
I recently discovered a business reading list and picked up “Pound the Stone” by Joshua Metcalf. Though I’m not finished with it, I’m loving it so far. The story revolves around Jason, who’s overcoming life challenges with the guidance of unlikely mentors, Russ and Jan. In one chapter, Jason, an aspiring basketball player, focuses on developing his weak hand, but Russ advises him to leverage his strengths for better results.
This advice resonates with me; we all have strengths and weaknesses. I excel in analyzing, planning, and crunching numbers, often to the point of neglecting other important aspects of life. On the flip side, activities like cold calling drain me, requiring a mental pep talk, breaks, and even a nap afterward. I can do them, but it’s inefficient.
Efficiency comes from loving what you do. So, I made a list of common business activities, breaking them down into subcategories. Which ones do you love, tolerate, or dread? Sometimes, you might enjoy certain tasks within a category but loathe others.
Here are some business activity categories:
- Marketing: Google and Facebook Ads, Blog posts, Chamber of Commerce events, BNI, etc.
- Sales: Cold calling, sales appointments (in-person or phone)
- Technical: Service fulfillment, product delivery or installation, vehicle fleet maintenance
- Admin/Office: Answering phones, writing proposals, bookkeeping, tax filings, paying bills, chasing receivables, HR/hiring, creating budgets
If you dislike a task, delegate it. For instance, if answering phones isn’t your thing, hire someone to handle it, or you risk losing potential customers. To keep leads flowing, continuously experiment with marketing strategies.
Bookkeeping is essential; not knowing your financials puts you at a disadvantage. Small business owners often wear many hats, but growth requires delegation. Delegation doesn’t always mean hiring; consider outsourcing or subcontracting.
When deciding what to delegate, start with tasks you struggle with or dislike the most. Many entrepreneurs make the mistake of hiring people just like them; it’s often wiser to bring in someone with complementary strengths.
Let’s have a conversation. What’s your biggest business weakness or task you dislike that you should delegate? Share in the comments.
