When to Let Go of Control in Your Business

My mom always says “No one person is an island”. How true that statement is. As a business owner, that is one huge lesson I learned early on while working to build an agency. When to Let Go of Control in Your Business plays a large role in this sentiment- being able to delegate responsibilities to people you can rely on serves to help your growth.

What my mom really means when she would say that quote to me is this– no one thrives alone. Ask for help when needed, even when it means handing off control in order to get it. We all rely on someone to make our worlds go round- our grocers for food, our loved ones for companionship, our colleagues for support, you get the idea.

The photo above is a behind-the-scenes-moment with my friend Jen who handles a lot of my company’s research and organization. Hiring and relying on others to do things that I am not as passionate about does require leaps of faith. Furthermore, the upside is how it allows me more control and focus over the things I’m best at. Jen’s contribution helps me to grow at a pace that would be much slower if I were alone. 

When to Let Go of Control in Your Business

With that said, here are 3 mental exercises that could help you with clarity on when to control and when to let go (professionally and/or personally): 

1. Identify where your need to control comes from. What’s the why behind it? Maybe you were burned in a prior incident and the fear of trusting again is holding you back. Getting clear on your why can really free you.

2. Identify the worst case scenario if/when you give up control over a specific thing. Is it so terrible? The absolute worst that could happen is most likely not as a bad as we imagine these events to be. Once again, fear plays a role here. Let’s work to move past that.

Last,

3. Pick the person and task that feel safe enough where you can practice handing it off and letting go. Practice definitely makes for perfect here. The more comfortable you get at delegating to the trusted people you surround your company with, the more free you can be to do the areas of business you are best at. Ultimately, it’s a win-win.

Why should we go it alone? Most of us have people in our lives that would like to support us. Our biggest hurdle is being brave enough to ask. So, let’s do that.