If we come from a life where we have to accomplish things on our own it can be hard to rely on others. In a business, cultivating an attitude that you must do everything yourself can lead to unnecessary heartache.
Eric Herrenkohl, the writer of “How To Hire A-Players”, mentions the “exponential” benefits of hiring a good person for your business. The passage “One A-Player Can Give You Your Life Back” tells the story of a couple who struggled to find the time for their own personal lives and their business.[1] Upon acquiring the services of a store manager with 12 years of experience running their competitors store across the street. Once he started bringing his experience to the business he not only gave the store owners freedom, but he gave them a competitive edge.
The same situation can happen for a founder, only if they see value in it. As an early entrepenur, your job is not to hold all the jobs part of your company, instead your job is to build the business so that it can function as its own machine.
I strongly agree with Herrenkohl and Wasserman in their warnings about not delegating tasks. If a CEO is running and micromanaging every single aspect of the company, there will be no time for other things necessary to expand the business.
Never neglect to deligate. In The Founder’s Dilemmas, it underlines the need to leverage the skills of the people you bring into your team.[2] The impact of one good hire can be profound and may give you the freedom to lead and make significant change.
What do you think? Will you alone hold the world on your shoulders or will you build a team that can push the boundaries of your business?
References:
[1] E. Herrenkohl, How To Hire A-Players, Hoboken, New Jersey: John Wiley & Sons Inc, 2010.
[2] N. Wasserman, The Founder’s Dilemmas, Princeton: Princeton University Press, 2012.
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