Most entrepreneurs are Type A personalities. They want things done now and they want them done right. And the only person in the company who does things this perfect way? The entrepreneur himself, of course. Thus, long hours are put in at the office with little reprieve from the stress of running your own venture.

While this style of (micro) management may help you feel in control, it will inevitably cause your business to plateau and maybe even crumble. No one can do it alone.

“Let it go,” let it go my friend. It is time to learn the joy of delegation and how working smarter, not harder, can help your company thrive.

  1. Work on your business, not in it. Micromanaging monopolizes time that could be spent working on your business rather than simply working in your business. When you are focused on the day-to-day operations of your company, you become reactive rather than proactive and will never move your business forward. As the saying goes, when you are busy fighting alligators, you forget that your purpose was to drain the swamp.
  2. Hire smart, direct well. Learning to delegate starts with hiring a great team to move the company forward. Then, it’s all about the way you lead them. Provide thorough training and direction so that your team has a baseline for understanding how your business functions. Discover together SMART goals – Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic and Timely. This gives your delegated tasks a greater chance of getting accomplished.
  3. Back off your employees. When you operate as a helicopter boss, your employees can feel stifled and stressed. Take a step back from your team and let them know that you trust their work. Your employees will appreciate the gesture and feel more invested in the growth of the company.
  4. Improve your employees and they will improve your company. You must empower your team to step up in the company or you will never see employees take initiative with their work. Encourage leadership skills and foster new ideas by delegating work to the up-and-comers in the company — who knows, they may even do it better than you.

This story was originally published on SmallBizDaily.