Delegation is like flexing a new muscle - you have to practice

By Trivinia Barber, speaker, author and founder of Priority VA , a team placement and leadership development company that helps leaders build teams they can trust.

Most of us are creatures of habit. Repetition is great when we are on track, but it can also mean getting caught up in a rhythm where we have to do it all ourselves and not let others help us with our leadership.

I don't want to be that kind of leader. I want to elevate my team's already great work, and I'm doing it to be even better. I believe we achieve this through delegation.

If you're new to delegation, it doesn't feel natural at first. Much like flexing a new muscle, the movements feel awkward and harsh. But just because you feel rusty or think you're not doing a good job doesn't mean you should give up this practice.

You can make delegation a successful habit that you do repeatedly. My best advice for improving yourself is simply to persuade yourself to delegate more often.

Optimize your time

One of the biggest complaints I hear from executive assistants I've recently placed with a CEO is that their boss just doesn't give them anything to do. This is a poor use of resources because your EA is sitting there twiddling its thumbs. It also puts you out of practice for learning to let go.

In a new relationship, it's normal to want to build trust before delegating. But ideally, you should unload more and more work over time. Just like with exercise, you need to do reps to gain strength. You should also be prepared to challenge yourself and change exercises or add more weight.

Many leaders will stay in their comfort zone with delegation. It's easier to some extent, but it underutilizes your steering assistant and leaves a lot of work on your plate. We don't want that.

If you don't know where to start or what to give up, ask your EA. Ask them if there is anything they would like to do that they are not doing yet. Or write what you want to give up but are afraid someone else will.

Let this clarity be the starting point for a conversation with your EA. No one is asking you to let go before you're ready. In a gym, this would lead to injury. Think of these delegation increases as incremental moves.

Working with your executive assistant

Ask your EA, "How can we work together so I can slowly hand this over to you? What might that process look like?" Your EA has more strategies up its sleeve than you might think.

For example, if you're afraid to give up inbox management, let your EA write a sample email response draft. Provide feedback, then let them send it on your behalf. This gives you a small point of contact to see how they would approach the job, without you being out of place.

Strive to challenge yourself 1% more each week. If you're worried about giving up travel management, can you document your flight, accommodation, and rental car preferences and let your EA prepare a sample itinerary for a destination city?

You're never supposed to do everything on your to-do list. The more time you spend clinging to work for fear of letting go, the more you drift away from work which is the most valuable use of your time.

I know that as an entrepreneur, you're not always patient enough to slow down to teach someone how to work for you. But just as you need to slow down to perfect your form with a new drill, you need to be prepared to do the same with your team. Over time, you'll build strength and muscle memory!

Think about it. If today you let your EA write an email response for you, maybe tomorrow you'll let them hit send on that draft. Then in two weeks they respond to customers without you even reading the email exchange.

Gradual growth is still growth. Encourage yourself to delegate more often. Be curious about what's holding you back and leverage your EA to help you become a stronger delegator.