Everything you need to know about Delegation
Stacy Rowe • September 25, 2024
Everything you need to know about Delegation
By: Stacy Rowe
Delegation is an essential part of business. As a leader it is your responsibility to delegate. By not delegating you can cause burnout, missed deadlines, and stretch yourself or others too thin. BUT…when you delegate successfully it can multiply your effectiveness, allow time to utilize your talents where they can make a difference, streamline your work, and expand your sphere of influence. Added benefits to you as the leader would be learning to communicate effectively and persuasively, learning to supervise and train, and building your team and maintaining it. The greatest part of delegating is giving MORE people on your team a stake in the outcome.
Hopefully you agree that delegation is an essential part of your business. But just like practice…effective practice makes perfect not just practice. The same goes for delegation. You have to delegate effectively in order for delegation to be successful. You can’t just hand a pile of work to someone and say “Go”, although that would be a dream wouldn’t it. Below are 6 steps to delegation to help you on your journey to maximizing your business.
- Select People For the Job Who
- Define the work based on outcomes, products and deliverables
- Break out the work into tasks or steps that will accomplish the work
- Define a realistic completion date for each task
- Identify the right people for each task
- Convey enthusiasm and emphasize the importance of the project. Be positive.
- Give examples if you can
- Match The Person To The Task
- If forming a team to work on a project, make sure you have a mix of talents and strengths
- Some will work well behind the scenes and some want the spotlight
- Some will work well with little supervision and some will need more guidance
- Know your people
- Define Project Tasks and Communicate them Clearly
- Communicate to each team member the purpose of the project, their responsibilities, and the schedule.
- Give people check lists and outlines
- Explain how each task is relevant to the total project
- Make sure you are available to each team member to answer questions or provide guidanc
- Track Progress, Give Feedback, And Help People Solve Problems
- Check in periodically and ask your team about their progress, are they on schedule
- Do they have the resources they need
- Did they hit any roadblocks – are they stuck
- Allow for creativity and variations in work style
- Keep your focus on the final product not the details of the job
- People work according to individual learning styles
- When they work in their own way they feel ownership over it
- Your team may not perform tasks exactly as you do and that is ok
- Provide Incentives and Show Appreciation
- Reward good work
- The obvious - raise, bonus, monetary
- other ideas could be -recognition at a staff meeting or in a newsletter if you have one, write them a letter, invite them to a special event, or take them to lunch!
Stacy Rowe is the Senior Vice President for Premier Athletics. She started with Premier Athletics in 2001 when began as the gym manager in Clayton, NC. Stacy was the 2014 USASF Coach of the Year and has coached many cheer and dance teams throughout her career. Her teams have earned several Gold, Silver, and Bronze World Championship placements and she understands the work it takes to be successful.
She is passionate about teaching others to build their business. Stacy is a jack of many trades. She is a wife of 24 years and a mother of two teenagers, Avery and Jon. In addition, Stacy is an award-winning author. Her pen name is S.R. Fabrico. She has won awards for several novels. She also has a series of sports journals for athletes. Her genuine wish is to help athletes set goals, track their season, and enjoy the journey.
Owning a gym can feel like a never-ending grind. But it doesn’t have to. The key to freedom isn’t working harder—it’s working smarter . And that starts with systems. Let’s talk about the top systems you need to get out of the weeds and into the visionary role your gym deserves. 1. Scheduling: Automate Your Calendar Use tools like Calendly, Google Calendar, or class management software to eliminate the back-and-forth. Set recurring team meetings Automate trial class sign-ups Create time blocks for admin vs. creative work Bonus: Protect your "off time" like it’s sacred. Because it is. 2. Onboarding: New Hires Done Right Create a step-by-step onboarding system that includes: Orientation checklist Video trainings Culture manual Weekly check-ins Why it matters: The faster your team is up to speed, the faster you can delegate. 3. Delegation: Build a Leadership Ladder Stop trying to do it all. Identify tasks you can train, trust, and transfer. Admin? Delegate. Social media? Delegate. Warm-ups? Delegate. Your job is vision, not micromanagement. 4. Communication: Say It Once Use a central platform (Slack, Band, Trello) to communicate consistently. Create channels or boards for: Team updates Weekly goals Parent communication templates Stop repeating yourself. Start systemizing. 5. Billing + Admin: Automate the Back End Use platforms like Jackrabbit, iClassPro, or Studio Director to: Auto-bill tuition Track attendance Send reminders Less time chasing payments = more time leading. Bonus: Weekly CEO Time Block 1-2 hours a week for high-level strategy. No interruptions. No "quick questions." Use it to: Review metrics Brainstorm growth strategies Plan your next move Final Word: Freedom Comes From Systems The goal isn’t to do less work—it’s to do your best work . The kind of work that grows your gym, inspires your team, and energizes you. Start small. Pick one system to build this week. Because when your business runs on systems, you don’t have to run on empty.
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Introducing The Prime Alliance Some of the industry's most respected leaders joined together with a shared belief—That both industry competitors and customers alike benefit from cooperation and collaboration. These individuals representing The CheerExpo, Choice Events, All Out Brands, All Day Cheerleading, and American Spirit Cheerc have dedicated their careers to creating exceptional experiences for young athletes—together they are The Prime Alliance. Creating an Extraordinary New Experience When these visionaries first gathered, the energy was electric. The possibilities seemed endless. As they shared stories from their collective decades of experience, a powerful truth emerged, their combined knowledge, relationships, and passion could allow them to give back something truly extraordinary to an industry that had given them so much. Their abilities, existing relationships and highly regarded reputations in the industry allow them to secure a new venue in a proclaimed destination. The Prime Alliance creates a foundation that allows them to reimagine what an industry event can be. Drawing on their firsthand understanding of innovation, these leaders are committed to building something genuinely new, not simply derivative of the past. This commitment requires patience as they carefully craft every detail, even as curiosity naturally builds throughout the industry. The founding members unanimously agree: strategic planning forms the cornerstone of every successful venture. While anticipation builds across an industry eager for reinvention, these leaders remain laser-focused on building something truly transformational. Their unwavering commitment? Prioritize thoughtful preparation without compromising ambition. The planning process is well underway, with every founding member dedicated to delivering an experience that exceeds expectations. Mark Your Calendars The Prime Alliance is thrilled to announce its inaugural event—a gathering that will redefine industry standards and create new opportunities for those ready to embrace something bold. May 8-10, 2026 | Fort Lauderdale, Florida Stay tuned for more details in the coming weeks, and be sure to follow @joinmotus for the official event name reveal on May 14th, 2025. The Visionaries Behind The Prime Alliance CX Brands Cole Stott, Kevin Brubaker, Casey Jones, Stacy Rowe Choice Events Robin Coe, Dennis Worley All Out Brands Emilee Fenn, James Kersey All Day Cheerleading Andrew Day, Carlos Foster American Spirit Cheer Paul and Tammy Skinner Are you going to be part of history or watch it?
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5 Metrics That Elevate Cheer Gym Profitability When running a cheer gym, it goes beyond just coaching but also requires solid business acumen. To sustain your business, you must track the appropriate metrics. These five indicators will allow you to monitor progress, improve operations, and make sound decisions. Keeping Athletes Coming Back: Member Retention Rate – It is often less costly to retain athletes than to continually recruit new ones. Determine the number of athletes who return every season and identify the reasons leading to some of them leaving the program. Use various retention strategies like Rewarding staff with high retention rates. You can also ask parents to complete a survey and give them something in return. This is a great way to get feedback on your program. Turning Interest into Commitment: Lead-to-Member Conversion Rate – In the case where the lead to athlete inquiries ratio is above zero, how many of them actually convert? If this lately adopted method has an unsatisfactorily high conversion rate, through sales and responses, make sure that you close on new members at a higher rate. Consider streamlining the onboarding process with special trial classes, grab bag gifts, and automation of welcome messages. Maximizing Financial Stability : Revenue Per Athlete – When evaluating the pricing and value of services, this becomes especially useful. Consider whether there are any additional services that could increase revenue like merch, classes, and specialty clinics. Maximize the dollars that each member is spending. Operational Costs vs. Revenue: Maintaining a Healthy Financial Balance – Know where your money is going. If expenses are high, look for areas to streamline. Conduct regular financial audits, negotiate better vendor deals, and optimize staffing efficiency to maintain a profitable gym. Social Media Engagement Rate: Measuring Your Brand’s Impact – A strong online presence leads to more visibility and trust. Track likes, shares, and comments. A high engagement rate often correlates with strong brand loyalty and potential leads. If engagement is low, experiment with different content types and posting times. The Takeaway Numbers don’t lie. Tracking these metrics helps you make smarter, data-driven decisions for long-term success.
Time Management How many times a day or week do you say…I don’t have enough time for that? We all have the same 24 hours, 1440 minutes, and 86400 seconds in a day. So why is it that some people are able to accomplish so much more than others? YOU GUESSED IT – TIME MANAGEMENT! Okay so now we know what the difference maker is, let’s discuss some time management. This is a good time to get out some pen and paper or click on the note’s app on your phone. Let several things that you need to get done over the next few days or weeks. I’ll give you a minute. Okay, you’ve made your list. Now you are going to make everything on the list with an I for IMPORTANT or an NI for NOT IMPORTANT. What does this mean because everything is important and it all has to get done, right? Keep reading. IMPORTANT to-dos or responsibilities are ones that contribute to the achievement of your goals. NON-IMPORTANT to-dos or responsibilities are ones that DO NOT contribute to the achievement of your goals. Alright, now you want to consider your list and decide if the items on it are URGENT or NOT URGENT. You can have very important items are your list, but perhaps they are not urgent or non-important items on your list, but they are very urgent. Urgent responsibilities require immediate attention. These are often linked to the accomplishment of someone else’s goal. Ignoring urgent issues will have negative consequences. For example, you have a parent that is unhappy with their instructor and is in your office demanding a meeting right now. You must take the meeting because it is good customer service and you don’t want an unhappy customer, but this meeting is time spent not working to achieve your goals of starting a new program at your facility. It is an urgent meeting, it is necessary, but it isn’t moving the needle so to speak. After you have assessed your list you want to consider the following things – Items with important deadlines and high urgency need immediate attention; this cannot be helped. Unfortunately, these tend to be crises, pressing problems, projects that are deadline-driven, emergencies, or things that require last-minute preparations. Items with high importance but do not have urgent deadlines. These are items are usually planning, preparing, and training. The more you can add items like this to your agenda and plan far in advance, the more you are working toward your goals. The items from #1 will slow you down from #2, so you want to do everything you can to get out in front of those items and see the smoke before there’s fire, you know the old saying. Items that are both not important with high urgency are distractions. Assign these to someone else if you can. These tasks do not contribute to your goals and they take energy away from tasks that will have a positive impact on your business. Items that are not important and are not urgent basically yield no value to your objectives. They are time wasters for you and should be eliminated when possible. Here are some additional things that you can do to help you along the way in your time management journey. Question if an activity brings your closer to your goals. Consider the four statements above and categorize you to-dos. Prioritize tasks that bring you closer to your goals versus tasks that do not. Plan ahead as much and as far as possible. The more you can live in this space the less distractions you will have. Always sort your to-do list. This will help you identify what needs your attention, what can wait and what you can delegate to someone else. Good luck and happy planning!
