A few years back, someone once told me that I was going to burn myself out. The reason was not because I was putting in a great quantum of hours, but because I was failing to delegate. I was introduced to the concept of “Finders, Minders, and Grinders”.  My interpretation of this concept is fairly simple and straightforward. But if you try to do it all yourself, you will inevitably, burn out. Or worse, your business could fail.

A Finder is the person who “makes it rain”. They are marketer, promoter, advertiser, or salesperson for your business. Surely, business opportunities do not materialize out of thin air. Any successful business needs Finders in order to survive, or there is just no business to be had.

A Minder is the person who “minds the store”. Minders are detail oriented, type-A personalities who are the ones who know what everyone’s salary is, knows what vendors your company uses, down to the minutiae of how your office space is paid for, and where you buy your paper clips. Lest we think that Minders are only embroiled in the details, Minders also range all the way up to making decisions about personnel, work-flow, and overall strategy.  Building a business without a Minder is like building a house without an architect.

Finally, Grinders are the dependable “work-horses” who get the work done. They push papers, they churn out volumes of work, and do not complain about any tediousness in their tasks. Without Grinders, a business just doesn’t move forward.

The folly, is when one person, usually the managing partner or owner of a business tries to be all three simultaneously.  As you go out into the world, reflect on which of the three (or all of the three) you are, and whether or not you feel like you do indeed delegate any of the above. If you do learn to delegate, and share the responsibility for the growth of your business, you might just find that your business is growing more than you thought it would.