Ready, Steady, Outsource!

Recently my just-turned-four year old, received a brand new bike. Gloriously orange with effervescent racing stripes and all the mod cons a four year old boy could dream of. His dreams of one day riding a motorbike, just that little bit closer.

Cautiously, I attached a handle to the back of the bike. As I gazed upon his beaming little face, I was taken back to his new-born days (That was just yesterday, wasn't it?) and I could not fathom him riding a bike all by himself (the horror!). Off he rode, along the footpath with me trailing an inch behind, grasping at that handle bar and attempting to hide my ever growing panic.

Then the time came. We approached the hill.

THE hill. The one behind our house that we walk along every day with the dog. The hill that was unavoidable and unstoppable. We must plough through this hill to get back home, or risk needing to weave through the traffic, which makes the hill the only optimal choice. I gripped the back handle bar, white knuckled and ever so cautious. But instead of helping, it became immediately apparent that I was hindering.

"I can do it by myself!"

Fierce with determination, he shot back at me as if to plead for me to let go of the handle. But how? How could I let go? This is my baby, the little baby I caressed in my loving arms for four whole years! What if I let go and something happened?

And that was when I realised something really important that I I hadn't allowed myself to see. He isn't a little baby anymore and this is his chance to shine.

Capable, determined and independent, off he rode. Down that hill at the speed of light, wahooing gleefully as he rolled away from my reach.

And guess what happened?

Nothing. Absolutely nothing.

Suddenly that enormous hill shrunk before me. The tiny slope it is in reality, hit me straight in the face. Because let's face it, it's not really a hill at all. It's an obstacle I had created from my own fear that if I wasn't in control, something terrible would absolutely happen.

The fact is, I wasn't ready to outsource, even though I knew I needed to. I needed to give this role over to someone else that was perfectly capable of the job and definitely didn't need me in the background, hovering like a helicopter.

When it comes time for you to outsource in your business, there are two important factors you need to take into consideration.

1. Do I need to outsource this task?

2. Am I ready to hand over control of this facet of my business?

Because whilst I knew he needed to pedal that bike, I wasn't ready to accept that he could also control it himself. The two simply cannot co-exist! I needed to acknowledge my need to give him the task AND his ability to ride the bike all on his own.