EP8: Why Can't I Step Away From My Business?
Fear of Delegation, and the One Question That Finally Lets You Let Go
Fear of delegation rarely has anything to do with your team, even though it feels that way in the moment. I found that out the hard way when my sister wanted to completely change how we ran Primavera, our cleaning company, and my gut reaction was to shut the idea down before I'd even really considered it.
What Actually Happened When My Sister Wanted to Change the Business?
We'd always run two or three person cleaning teams at Primavera. My sister wanted to move us to solo technicians, one person per house.
My immediate reaction was no.
I thought people would hate working alone, hate the pay change, and that we'd break something that was already working.
We made the change anyway, and it turned into one of the best decisions we ever made.
Our technicians became more efficient, made more money, finished earlier, and actually got to be home with their kids after school.
Why Was I So Against Something That Turned Out to Be Right?
Looking back, the facts never actually supported my fear.
I had simply convinced myself something would go wrong.
I think most business owners do this constantly.
We say we want more freedom, a team that can run without us, the ability to step away.
Then the moment comes to actually hand something over, and we hesitate anyway.
Why Does Letting Go Feel So Uncomfortable, Even When We Know It's Right?
Most of us built our businesses by doing everything ourselves for years.
We became the person who solves every problem and makes every decision, and it just started to feel normal.
When someone tells you to let your team own something, it feels wrong even when you know logically that it's the right move.
We start thinking:
- What if they don't do it like I would?
- What if they make the wrong call?
- What if something gets missed?
The easiest thing is always to just do it yourself.
What's Actually Underneath That Fear?
I was reading Feel the Fear and Do It Anyway by Susan Jeffers, and one idea in it made everything click.
Underneath most fear is really one question:
What if I can't handle this?
When I looked at my reaction to my sister's idea, that was exactly it.
I told myself I was afraid of losing employees or breaking the business, but underneath all of that was the real fear:
What if this goes wrong and I can't handle it?
What's the One Question That Actually Helps You Let Go?
Pick something you're still holding onto that you know someone else should own.
Ask yourself why you haven't let it go.
Maybe you think they'll get it wrong, a customer will get upset, or it'll cost you money or an uncomfortable conversation.
Then ask the real question, not "could this go wrong," because of course it could, but:
"Could I handle it if it did?"
For me, the honest answer was yes.
You've already built something out of nothing once.
You've already made mistakes and figured things out you didn't know how to do at the time.
That experience doesn't disappear just because something falls apart.
What Does Real Trust Actually Mean?
Trust isn't believing your team will never make a mistake, or that every decision will work out.
It's knowing that when something does go wrong, you can handle it.
If you only let go once you're certain nothing bad can happen, you'll never let go, because there's always some risk.
The shift happens when you can say:
"This might not go perfectly, and if it doesn't, we'll figure it out."
What Should You Do With This Today?
This week, pick one thing you're still holding onto that someone else could own.
Ask yourself what you're actually afraid will happen if you let it go, then ask if you could handle it.
If the answer is yes, hand it off.
If it's no, ask why not, and keep asking until you get to yes.
Want a Simple Way to Create and Organize Your SOPs?
If you want a simple way to create and organize your SOPs, check out Sophie at sophiehq.com.
Resources & Links
Visit: https://bit.ly/JhonLeBaron
Download the free resource: https://bit.ly/Jhons5Reasons
Facebook: https://bit.ly/JhonLeBaronFacebook
Instagram: https://bit.ly/JhonLeBaronInstagram
Tags: Delegation, Fear of Delegation, Leadership, Team Management, Business Systems, SOPs, Trust, Business Growth, Employee Empowerment, Business Owner, Micromanagement