It is invariably true, that whenever I meet a family business owner or leader that grumbles about everything under the sun, including how his or her managers are not doing enough to push the company forward, the end result is that more than his or her managers or colleagues, the main problem is himself or herself. In reality many times the root problem is that such family business owners or leaders are hesitant to delegate because they do not want to lose control. Many believe that being involved in every task or decision is the only and best way forward. In turn they create a culture of dependency and then grumble why everyone around them is hesitant to ‘carry the can’.

Below are some steps such family business leaders and owners need to undergo, to create a sustainable future for themselves, their managers or teams and the business itself.

1) Change your mindset.

Many family business owners or leaders end up in management after doing their job ‘in the trenches” well. This means, as an individual contributor, they have particularly strong at delivering results and completing the tasks on their to-do list, which was the basis upon which the family business has grown. But once the family business has grown beyond a certain size, than business would require the family business owner or leader to focus on their leadership role, rather than remain operational. trying to get involved in everything. Though it may seem counterintuitive, the more senior anyone becomes in any organisation, the less one should be involved in doing the day-to-day work. The end target is finding a balance between having a sense of what’s happening without directly contributing to every project. This shift, from “doing” to “managing” can feel uncomfortable — especially if the family business owner and leader thrives on getting recognition for carrying out tasks quickly and well. The reality is that as the family business grows, the job of the family business owner and leader has changed now. As a manager, success is not equal to being the best performer on your team, but is determined by the ability of the family business owner or leader to help their team grow, reach their goals, and contribute to the larger company vision. Family business owners and leaders that resist this change, end up overwhelmed and (unintentionally) holding onto opportunities that could be given to their team. That’s why learning to delegate is so important. It can help family business owners gain back valuable time and give their direct reports more chances to develop their skills. Delegating is all about loosening control and increasing accountability and once family business owners and leaders embrace this, they will become more comfortable doing it.

2) Determining what to delegate and whom to delegate it to.

The next step for a family business owner or leading is to realistically think about what work to take on, what work to hand off, and who to hand it off to. Writing out a comprehensive list of every task or project on his or her plate would help. Then, they should be asking themselves the following questions to identify which items would be best to delegate:

• What tasks or projects hamper my ability to work on the “high-level” projects that only I can carry out? Be realistic with yourself about what “high-level” entails. “High-level” projects are often the ones that contribute to your company’s longer-term strategic priorities and are less urgent than a day-to-day task. This work requires your experience, input, and expertise as a leader, and is typically not appropriate to hand off to a more junior employee.

Once a family business owner or leader has identified what work is “high level,” they also need to ask themselves which tasks or projects might be learning opportunities that can help their team develop further. Whether it’s a one-off request or more elaborate project, every item handed off should do one of the following: contribute in some way to the “high-level” work they are responsible for and help direct reports gain visibility (internally or externally) or challenge direct reports to learn and grow.

3) Clearly communicating the task or project to your team members and clarify their roles and next steps. DELEGATION IS NOT FARFARATION!!

Now that a family business owner or leader has got around what work they want to delegate and to whom, the next step is too thoughtfully approach the team members to share their thinking. They need to know what the leader is delegating, why they’re being asked to do it, and what does the leader expecting of them. Typically, it’s best to have the family business leader schedule 1-2-1 meetings specifically focused on this topic to ensure that there is enough time to discuss the expectations of the family business owner or leader and answer any questions that come up. During such meeting, it is important that there is absolute clarity of what the project is, how it’s contributing to the goals of the organisation and why the family business owner or leader is asking this person to work on it. Next, it would help if the family business owner and leader follow up with a question like, “What are your thoughts on this project? What else would be helpful for me to share with you?” . It is very likely that team members will have some initial questions around the scope of the project or task, or wonder how it will fit into their current workload. It is the family business leader’s job to help them reprioritise their to-do list and ensure they have enough time on their plate to successfully do this work. Once the roles are clearly defined, there is still the risk that things get stuck. In the process of having anything delegating the family business leader would do best to give the team member a timeline of goals to reach and check in on them regularly to track their progress. At the same time, make sure that you do not end up micromanaging the team member.

4) Celebrate progress and provide feedback.
When checking up on the progress, family business leaders would do well to give their team member feedback on the project or task delegated, coach them and provide them with any resources they may need to move forward (if possible). That said, if the the family business leader feel that he/she has critical feedback, my advice is to hold your horses a bit and don’t immediately forward such feedback. It’s more useful for the family business leader to ask questions that will help your team member develop their own understanding of what may need to be done differently. The family business leader would do well to use this time to recognise their team member’s efforts, as some encouragement may be just what they need to stay motivated. On longer projects, if a milestone is reached, celebrate their accomplishments by letting them know that you appreciate their work. Reiterate how their efforts are contributing to your team or larger organisation.

As a family business grows, thinking that a family business owner or leader can be involved in everything, becomes an great limitation and source of frustration to all. Delegation becomes the only forward. For delegation to be successful, family business owners and leaders need to be patient with the above outlined process. Learning how to delegate well takes time, but it’s worth it — because if family business owners and leaders can’t replace themselves, it means that the business cannot grow and will not exists beyond their involvement. So, family business owners and leaders need to consider this as an investment in their business, their teams and themselves.