Part of what draws people to becoming an event planner is a love of—get ready for it—control. And I mean that in the best way possible. We’re people who love organization and charts and timelines and, more than anything, being in control of the outcome of one single event. We like holding the reins and making sure the cart goes where we steer it (hopefully that’s into a magical, whimsical dreamland dripping in romantic flowers and perfect place settings where our bride and groom have the best day of their dreamy little lives). That being said, the thought of delegating tasks to others can be a bit scary. So today, I wanted to offer up some advice on what to delegate and, more importantly, why. Let’s start with the why: We often think of delegating tasks as a very managerial, down-the-chain-of-command kind-of thing. The manager sits in her ivory tower and delegates tasks to the minions. I’d like to challenge that train of thought today. Have you ever stopped to think about delegating tasks as a way to grow your community among your peers? Rather than looking at delegating as handing something off to someone in a position below yours (and praying it doesn't all fall apart), look at it as hiring someone to complete a task who happens to be better at it than you—a way of growing your community and surrounding yourself with experts.
Have you ever stopped to think about delegating tasks as a way to grow your community among your peers?
Delegating is also a great way to help you concentrate on what you need to. In a perfect world, you’d love to design those table numbers on your own, but maybe you’re not a graphic guru—admit this to yourself, have a glass of wine to soften the blow and then hire a graphic designer. It will allow you to spend more time focusing on your strengths (and will cut a ton of stress out of the equation). Now that I’ve totally sold you on delegating, let’s talk a little bit about what to delegate. This is pretty intuitive: delegate tasks that would take you too long to master. Things in the legal realm (like small business taxes or regulatory issues) often fall under this category. Graphic design is another big one that we find people like to delegate. Just be mindful to not delegate core functions of the business that would affect organizational culture (i.e. praise or, especially, reprimand).
Delegating is a great way to help you concentrate on what you need to.
We also reached out to our oh-so-lovely Aisle Planner community and asked them what to delegate. Here are their top five answers (in order of most votes to least).
1. Graphic Design
2. Bookkeeping
3. Housekeeping (we feel like this should be at the top of the list)
4. Social Media Management
5. PR/Research (tied for fifth)
Are there any other tasks we missed or delegating success stories you want to share? Let us know! Join the conversation over on Instagram!
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