When there’s a task at hand, it’s easier to take full reigns and get the job done. It’s easier to get from A to Z on your own. Sound familiar? Managing or waiting for someone to do what you know you’re capable of doing can be a bit of a challenge at times but is doing it alone really that much easier?
As a business owner, you’re bound to have many tasks at hand that need to get done. You may feel that asking for support or guidance is a sign of weakness, however, it’s the complete opposite. When you come together with like-minded individuals to navigate and overcome your business challenges, together you get the job done and increase your chances of avoiding difficulties you may come across when doing things alone.
In the old proverbs it says, “Show me your friends and I’ll tell you who you are.” This translates into surrounding yourself with the right people, and not just in your personal life but your business as well. Surrounding yourself with like-minded business owners will have a major impact on your business and its success. If you let go of the fear, inadequacy, or exhaustion that sometimes comes with asking for support, you will reap the benefits of said success. Associating yourself with others like you will take you and your business a long way.
Delegation
When needing or asking for support, a possible roadblock you may come to is who do you even ask? Having a group of other business owners you can reach out to opens up the possibilities of reliable sources and contacts. Who knows, one of your like-minded new friends may be the right person to hand over the task to. Having a selection of qualified leaders to assist you, along with faith and trust, is key to finding the one who’s best fit.
Jethro rebuked Moses: “You’re not the only one who can do this job. You just need to find some leaders you can trust to help share the load. There’s no reason you should do this alone.”
Moreover you shall select from all the people able men, such as fear God, men of truth,
[and] hating covetousness” (v.18:1a)
Relieving yourself of work that can be successfully completed by others opens up your time to be used for the tasks that can only be done by you. Learning the task of properly delegating makes you a better leader. As you help others become great leaders, withholding delegation will only hurt those you employ. Give your employees, your qualified leaders, tasks to contribute to the business and have a sense of value and place. God put these people in your path in order to not only support you, but support them and future leaders to come.
Learn From Others
Whether you’ve just started your business or you’re years in, there’s always something to learn. Generally, you learn by trial and error. By having a support system of like-minded professionals, you learn at a faster rate than you would alone. When in constant communication with other business minds, they help you create and/or refine your ideas. Being in an environment with them, you make new connections who have been there, done that. This reduces your struggles and efforts while again saving you time. To have someone to go to for brainstorming and bouncing ideas off of, you reap the benefits of their professional experience and in return you may help them as well.
You can learn from your own experiences or double your success by learning from others’ as well. Surrounding yourself with professionals who think like you brings you great success when you first know yourself and your strengths. Slightly letting go of the reins, trusting, and having faith will bring you even greater success than you possibly could have ever imagined. If you don’t have a like-minded group, join my Biblical Business Women Board of Directors and start a new journey in your successful future.
Margaret Iuculano is a high value Business Strategist who uses the Pumpkin Planning Processes to create a winning strategy for profitable, sustainable growth for her small business clients. She is also a thought leader on Leadership challenges and often shares topics to help managers recognize their true calling in becoming great Leaders.