Some rental business owners and operators micro-manage their operations, either out of habit or necessity. Whatever the reason, it might have worked in the early years of the company, but now, too much falls through the cracks as the business has grown and responsibilities have increased.
In any business, it's just not wise for the person at the top to be bogged down with the mountain of day-to-day minutiae that must be dealt with in running a successful business. The volume of all of this mental clutter might be keeping you from pursuing the higher-level business development activities that require a significant investment of your time and mental energy. And it's these higher-level activities that are essential to taking a company to a much greater level of growth and profitability.
Many rental companies have grown to a level where micro-management seriously stifles their ability to grow. For this reason, it's vitally important to have someone to whom you can delegate a wide variety of tasks. These tasks could include anything from scheduling performance reviews, ordering office and other supplies, purchasing airline tickets and making arrangements for attending the next rental convention, communicating information to employees, scheduling appointments, researching something dealing with competitors or suppliers, following up on the status of almost anything, and literally hundreds of other possible duties. Just think of the unbelievably wide assortment of tasks you take upon yourself. It doesn’t make sense for you to be dealing with all of the little things. But, on the other hand, you know that if the little things are taken care of, then the big things take care of themselves. So, you might be feeling trapped and frustrated.
Properly delegating to a key “go-to” office employee (and having the confidence that the assignments will be accomplished in an efficient and quality fashion) is more gratifying than most rental business operators can imagine. In fact, some of you who have been beating your head against a wall for years might have a very difficult time believing that this ideal is even possible.
Here are a few other key points to consider when cultivating your "go-to" person:
- This employee will need to understand the principles of delegation and be well trained to follow through. He or she must fully grasp and embrace the concept that it's not only critically important that the big tasks and projects get accomplished, but the small ones as well.
- Be certain this key person has a very positive attitude and is eager to take on any and all tasks that are delegated. It's mentally and physically draining to consistently feel like you need to convince someone to do something that you need. This is why some of you feel like it's easier just to do everything yourself.
- Consider hiring someone to fill this position. The chances of hiring someone with all the qualities and skills needed are slim, so be prepared to give the new hire the proper training. On the other hand, it's possible an existing staff member could be suited for the position and might be eager for the challenge, training and responsibility.
- The company owner and supervisors will need training in the effective use of delegation. Delegating is not just asking someone to do something.
- Condition yourself to let go. This can be tough to do, even after you develop a very prepared and capable “go-to" person who is now ready, willing and able to help you tremendously.
If you're one of the many rental business owners who is far too involved in the day-to-day operations, instead of charting the course of the company and developing new opportunities, it's time to make some important changes.
