Breaking Free from the Bottleneck: How to Delegate in Your Coworking Space and Transform Your Role as Leader
In a bustling coworking space, it often feels as if the work is never even close to being finished.
As a seasoned coworking space operator, I've seen firsthand the whirlwind of tasks that can overwhelm even the most organized individuals.
Over my four-year journey in owning and managing several coworking spaces, I've engaged with plenty of other operators who struggle with trying to do it all – and often on their own.
A common thread in these discussions is the challenge of dealing with small, yet time-consuming tasks that build up quickly, keeping operators from focusing on what truly matters: member satisfaction, community building, and ultimately, their space's profitability.
My approach has been to lean heavily on delegation and outsourcing. I've taken what works and used it to guide dozens of coworking spaces in delegating effectively, enabling them to streamline their workflows. This strategy has not only given back countless hours to busy operators, but also boosted revenue and created happier, more functional teams.
Mastering delegation in a coworking environment means identifying the right tasks to hand over and ensuring they are handed off and taken over effectively, creating more room for focusing on members and community building.
The result is a more efficient, popular, and profitable coworking space – the ultimate goal for every owner/operator.
When You’re the Biggest Blocker: Understanding How Lack of Delegation Stifles Growth
When you’re the one in charge, all too often you are the go-to for answering every member question (even when you’ve got amazing staff!), fixing every tech issue, and making the final call on everything your internal team needs to move forward.
This visible problem masks a deeper issue that nobody wants to own up to at first: you probably think your personal involvement is necessary in every aspect of operations.
“But, but, I need to do it myself.”
“I’m the only one who can do this.”
“It will just be faster if I do it!”
By centering yourself and refusing to delegate as a leader, you’re creating a huge blocker leading to inefficiencies, staff burnout/frustration, and stifling your space’s potential for growth.
Opening that second or third location and trying to do it all yourself? Forget about it.
While it might seem difficult at first, stepping back and entrusting your team with more responsibility can be one of the most effective strategies to unlock the full potential of your team.
Real-Life Success: How Strategic Delegation Revitalized a Coworking Space
Consider one of our coworking space clients – bustling with activity but struggling to keep afloat due to an inability to delegate effectively.
The owner, let’s call her Alice, was deeply involved in every minor task, from fielding sales calls to fixing printer issues. This left her completely exhausted, with little time for strategic planning or just being able to sit down and have a nice long chat with a member.
The turning point came when she and I worked together to develop a plan that would allow her to delegate many of her tasks to her capable community manager.
Alice was then able to shift her role from being a jack-of-all-trades to a visionary leader. The transformation was remarkable – not only did the space run more smoothly, but it also saw a significant increase in member satisfaction and retention.
6 Steps to Kickstart Delegation in Your Coworking Business
1. Identify What Can Be Delegated: Begin by assessing your daily activities and pinpoint tasks that don't necessarily need your unique expertise, or may not even be something you want to do – billing or data entry.
Be thorough when making your list. You may be currently performing a wide range of duties, from administrative tasks to customer service inquiries. Many time-consuming tasks can be more effectively handled by others – plus, they may prefer doing the exact tasks that you loathe! Is this urgent? Is this important? Is this my zone of genius? Assess your daily diary and decide.
2. Document with SOPs: Once you’ve identified a task, document the steps the next time you do it into a Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs). These SOPs should clearly outline the objectives, exact steps, and quality standards of each task.
Incorporate visual aids like Loom videos and Scribe to demonstrate the processes, making it easier for team members or new hires to understand how you want things done, and complete the tasks efficiently.
(Bonus tip: do these for all work, including the stuff you aren’t delegating. You never know when you might need to delegate it!)
3. Leverage Technology: Once you've documented your processes, evaluate if there are tech tools that can help streamline these tasks. Sometimes there’s a way to automate the task via Zapier or other integrations - and you’ll need human capital to handle it.
Using project management tools like Asana or Trello are excellent for assigning tasks, tracking progress, and managing deadlines. These platforms enhance communication and collaboration among team members, making the entire delegation process more efficient.
4. Decide Who Can Do It: Determine the best candidates to handle these tasks, whether they are current team members, new hires, or external virtual assistants.
Training and up-front time is essential to ensure that they have the necessary skills and knowledge. If a task falls outside your team's expertise, consider outsourcing to a local virtual assistant or a specialized coworking support service like Space Savvy Studio.
5. Fix Your Mindset: This is often the hardest part for high achievers who are used to doing everything on their own!
Embrace the mindset that it's okay if tasks are completed differently than you would do them or if some tasks don’t get done immediately. Learning to let go is a crucial part of effective delegation and will help in reducing your overall stress and focusing on more strategic tasks. Done is better than perfect, any day of the week.
6. Accountability, Feedback, and Follow-Up: Establish a plan for regular follow-ups, check-ins and feedback. This approach not only ensures that tasks are on track but also allows for timely interventions if necessary.
This is not an opportunity for micromanagement! It's a chance to provide constructive feedback, create a culture of ownership, and improvement, and allow your team to seek clarification or ask questions.
The Real Rewards of Strategic Delegation in Your Coworking Space
By mastering the art of delegation, you’ll see a transformation in your coworking space. Your team will be more engaged and capable, having been empowered to take on more responsibilities.
And, by involving various staff members in different aspects of your coworking space, you are enriching the member and visitor experience with diverse interactions. Visitors to your space have the opportunity to benefit from the unique skills and perspectives of different team members.
It also subtly enhances the exclusivity and importance of your direct involvement, and your time becomes a premium asset in the space.
You, as an operator, will enjoy more minutes in the day (yes, it’s possible) and reduced stress, allowing you to focus on strategic planning and business growth. You’ll also get to finally turn off your phone when you go on vacation.
A more efficient team where everyone’s working in their own zone of genius? This leads to a more vibrant coworking community, higher member retention, and ultimately, a more profitable and sustainable coworking business.
Ready to offload your tedious tasks and spend time on what matters most to you?
If you're ready to take your coworking space to the next level, I'm here to help. Schedule a consultation with me to dive deeper into effective delegation strategies tailored for your space. Together, we’ll get you out of the day to day grind, and put you back in the driver’s seat of your coworking business where you belong.