You’ve heard the expression, “If you want something done right, do it yourself.”
Think about it.
Does that expression reflect your beliefs and attitudes? Do you think that you are the only one who can adequately accomplish a task – whatever it may be?
If you’re running your own business, chances are that you’re a seriously independent individual who likes things done your own way. Now, there’s nothing wrong with being independent and wanting things done right.
But, it really can be a double-edged sword. On the one hand, your strong sense of independence has given you the vision, courage and bravery to go out and strike it big on your own. Especially if you’ve come from a typical working environment where you became disillusioned with the system and made the decision to go it on your own.
If you think that you are the only one who can do the job right – or do it better than someone else – there is a downside. And that downside is that you can end up being a bit of a lone ranger, trying to do everything yourself. You will end up getting really overwhelmed because you believe that you have to do everything yourself.
This is where it’s so important for you to learn to let go and trust others.
That’s actually a really key part of outsourcing that no one ever talks about. Before you rush out to find people to help you with the things you want to outsource in your business, examine your beliefs. While you’ll need to accept that there are things you don’t excel at – or don’t care about – you will also need to accept that you have to delegate those things to someone else. To do that, you have to acknowledge the qualities and skills that others possess to do those things.
In her book, Trust Your Vibes at Work (and Let Them Work for You), Sonia Choquette talks about how business, at its core, is the art of good relationships. And so, your beliefs about relationships and your attitudes towards relationships and towards other people are going to play a big role in your hiring people and working with people and partners. Don’t limit yourself or your business by thinking you will never find anyone who can possibly do the job as well as you.
Some of the myths and limiting beliefs I have observed over the years have come from my own experiences. I grew up in a family business. I watched my dad struggle constantly with hiring reliable staff. I remember hearing him say several times, “If it’s going to be done right, I’ll have to do it myself.”
He would get very impatient with people who couldn’t straight away do a task the way he did it. This really limited him. And it limited his business.
Although he was a fairly successful businessman, I sometimes wonder what more could have happened for him in his business had he been willing to place his trust in other people. That was a shame.
So, by all means, having faith in yourself and your abilities is essential to opening your own business. But, don’t be limited in your beliefs or you will end up limited in your business. Having faith in other people will help both you and your business to thrive and grow.
Believe in Yourself – But Have Faith in Others