Manar Al Hinai: You can’t do it all so learn to delegate

An entrepreneur must always stay involved in the business as being hands off will ultimately backfire.

A couple of weeks ago I met a friend for dinner and a movie. She’d recently taken a week off work and said she’d enjoyed the beautiful change of weather in the capital.

Relaxing at home and doing things she enjoyed made her realise it was about time she started her own business. She’s always had an idea in mind that she wanted to pursue, and she was adamant there was no time like the present to get going.

As an advocate for entrepreneurship, I could not have been more thrilled. I have always encouraged her to follow her dreams and pursue a business she felt strongly about. Which is why when she said she wanted to go ahead, I stressed that she had to be honest with herself before starting her business, ensure that she was truly passionate about her idea; that she could see herself working on it day and night. Because that is what is needed to grow and expand an enterprise, and she would have to be willing to put in extra hours in the beginning until her business picks up.

She laughed off my comment, stating she would hire someone from the outset to manage everything from A to Z, while she spent her day lounging by her pool, enjoying her corporate freedom and munching on her favourite sugar-glazed doughnuts. Was I shocked at her remark? Not really.

Although managing one’s business can mean more freedom in some aspects, you cannot ignore the hard work that needs to be put in, especially in the beginning. I have met many aspiring entrepreneurs who shared a similar mentality; that their responsibility would be to merely fund the business and everything else would be hand­led by the manager they hire.

That is not to say that an entrepreneur should take on everything on their own either. It is simply not possible when you consider the different aspects to focus on such as PR, advertising, customer service, product development, and strategising. But when you are building your business, you need to at least be involved in every aspect, to understand how things work.

Let your staff feel your passion. Explain your vision to them, and have them believe in it too. You do not want to have team members who do not believe in what you are trying to achieve. Let them shadow you and see how you conduct your work. That way it will be easier to delegate tasks in the future. At the beginning of their career with you, seeing how you personally work will inspire them to follow in your footsteps.

When business does pick up, and you can freely delegate your daily tasks, you should not be completely hands off. If your business is in town, then be there every day even for a couple of hours, or have a conference call with your managers every week if your business operates in a different country. Mark Zuckerberg, the founder of Facebook, spends five days of the week at his office – this even after his company became a global leader.

There are other reasons why it is important to be involved in your business. You will learn more about your customers’ needs and concerns through customer service. Their comments, as well as market trends, will help you with your expansion plans, product development and growing your business. Your involvement will also provide a morale boost to your employees and make them feel they are part of one big team.

Completely distancing yourself from your business and depending on someone else to run it for you will backfire and could result in mishaps, theft and, ultimately, your business going doing the drain. No one can transfer your passion to the business as much as you. Passion felt by an owner towards their business not only makes the employees believe in the concept and strive to develop it, but will also be felt by the customers.

An hour a day spent with your team, either in the morning by conducting rounds, or just over a conference call if you are away, will go a long way. It is a crucial investment that you have to make.

Manar Al Hinai is an award-winning Emirati writer and communications consultant based in Abu Dhabi. Twitter: @manar_alhinai

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