195: Building Trust: How to Empower Your Team to Take the Lead

Hi, my friends, this is Bonnie. Welcome back to the Professional Creative. Do you ever feel like your business is entirely on your shoulders? Like every decision, every deadline, every detail, something only you can handle? I see you. I spent a long, long time sitting right in this feeling as well. But what if it didn't have to be that way? What if you could trust your team or someone to not only follow through on projects, but to truly and not only do them as good as you, but do them better? As you imagine having the confidence to step away from the daily grind, knowing that your team is running with key projects so you can focus on new opportunities and bigger dreams. That's what I want to talk about today. We're going to talk about how to build trust and empower your team to take the lead. And I promise it's not as risky as it feels. So if delegation and trust are things that you've been struggling with, this episode is for you. Let's dive in.

Hi, I'm Bonnie.

Christine. And this is where all things creativity, design, business and marketing unite. I'm a mama living in a tiny town tucked right inside the Smoky Mountains, running a multi seven figure business, doing the most creative and impactful work of my life.

But when I first set out to

become an entrepreneur, I was struggling to make ends meet and wrestling with how to accomplish my biggest dream of becoming a fabric designer. Fast forward to today. I'm not only licensing my artwork all over the world, but also teaching others how to design their creative life and experience the same success. I'm here to help you spend your life doing something that lights you up. I'll help you build a creative business that also creates an impact, changes people's lives, gives you all of the freedom you want, and is wildly profitable. Welcome to the Professional Creative Podcast.

Okay, so let's just get real. Delegation is incredibly hard. If you've ever tried to delegate something and it didn't go well, you might have thought, I'll just do it myself or no one can do it like me. I get it. It is so much easier to just do it right than to risk something going wrong. And I think that for so many of us, especially creative entrepreneurs, we feel this on a personal level. Your work is deeply personal. It's a reflection of your creativity and your vision and your heart. So letting someone else handle it, well, that feels risky. What if they mess up? But the truth is that not delegating is the riskiest move of all. It keeps you trapped in a cycle of overwork and burnout, and you Stay stuck doing everything yourself. And let me tell you, it's a fast track to exhaustion. In fact, I would argue that staying as the primary doer in your business is the most selfish thing that you can do. Because I'm going to guess that all of us here, every one of you listening, you're really here so that you can make a positive impact on the people who come into your business. And by not delegating, you are limiting your ability to touch more and more people's lives. So now I want you to imagine something different with me. Picture your team fully owning their roles. And when I say team, I even mean one person. I know some of you, many of you are solopreneurs, and I want you to listen to this too, so that you can begin to wrap your mind around how you might delegate. Because I stayed a solopreneur for probably about five years too long because of all the limiting beliefs I had around delegating. So just imagine someone, one person on your team, one contractor, or maybe it's a bigger team. Imagine them running with projects, making really sound and good decisions on your behalf, and solving problems, all without needing your constant oversight. What would be possible for you if that were true? Here's what I see. More time for creativity, more time for big picture strategy, more capacity for growth, new opportunities, more peace of mind. Doesn't that sound like freedom? This is more than possible. It's also necessary for growth. And I promise it's closer than you think. You know, this reminds me of a time in my own business when I was doing all of the things like every email, every customer support message, every launch detail, it was all on me. And I wore that like a badge of honor. I was really proud that I did it all myself. But I was on a, quote, vacation with my family, incapable of stepping away because I had thousands of people in my business relying on me. And quite frankly, if I did step away, I knew that I was in for it when I got home to an inbox that had piled high and, you know, messages in the community that I had to respond to. So I hit a bit of a wall. I was tired, I had decision fatigue. My creativity felt drained or just like I didn't have enough time with it. And I knew that I couldn't sustain it. So something happens along in here is that I figured out how to lead a team and to delegate. One of the things that my team have helped me build, specifically, Lisa, my COO is an operating system. So we read a couple of books. The main one is called Rocket Fuel. This is by Gino Wickman. And the second one is called Traction, also by Gino Wickman. And these are on what is called eos, the entrepreneurial operating system. And this is the moment that everything changed.

If you're an artist or designer dreaming of seeing your work on products in

the real world, like fabric and wallpaper

and greeting cards, but maybe you're struggling to break into the world of licensing. Listen up. The art licensing industry can feel like almost an exclusive club with gatekeepers and confusing entry points. But I've found a way to simplify everything. Imagine pouring your heart into your art only to see it gather dust. That is not what we want. Maybe you've tried posting on social media, setting up an online store, sending out emails, but it feels like shouting into the void. And the art world is confusing. And breaking into licensing isn't just about talent. It's also about finding the right partners that are the right fit. Now, I've been in the same boat. I've spent tireless hours researching, compiling lists, learning how to approach companies. Then one day I had tremendous success.

So after so much trial and error,

I signed my first licensing deal.

Then another, and another.

Today, my artwork is licensed all over

the world and I want to help

you achieve the same same success. So I've taken what I consider the most difficult part and well, I've done it for you. I've poured over a decade of experience in developing the Ultimate Licensing Handbook. This is a curated list of over 400 companies across 17 plus industries. So you don't have to. This handbook is so much more than a list. It's a comprehensive resource that is going to help you eliminate the guesswork. It includes pitch templates that get results and step by step guidance on how to approach companies. If you've tried compiling this information on your own, you know how time consuming it is. It would take months. In fact, we've estimated that this handbook will save you over 463 hours of work. And it gives you direct access to the companies that can take your career to the next level. So are you ready to take the Next step? Visit BonnieCristine.com Handbook to get your copy of Ultimate Licensing Handbook and get instant access to all of these resources that we've poured so much into so that you don't have to remember there's room for you and I'd love to help you get started.

One of the biggest breakthroughs was the idea of an accountability chart. I realized that my team members didn't really always know exactly what their role was. There were blurred lines and there was so much overlap and confusion. So we sat down as a team and we mapped out clear roles and responsibilities. And you know what happened? People stepped up, they took ownership. Suddenly I didn't have to answer every question because they already knew what to do. It wasn't easy, but it was so incredibly worth it. And I want this for you too. So let me walk you through the framework for empowering your team to take the lead and take ownership. We call this on my team intrapreneurship, which means that you're really working as an entrepreneur. But in my business, here's the step by step process. This has helped me create trust and ownership with the people on my team. The first one is to define roles clearly. Use an accountability chart to eliminate role confusion. Everyone should know exactly where they stand, what they own and where they fit in. Clear is kind, as Brene Brown says it is the biggest gift. Number two is to start small. Don't start by handing off your biggest project. Start with a small manageable task and then build trust with people over time. Number three is to set clear expectations. We use the concepts of Rocks. This is from the EOS system, but they're basically like 90 day goals and specific outcomes with deadlines. And what this does is really help create clarity and accountability and also make sure that everyone's rowing their boat in the same direction. Number four is to adopt regular check ins. We have a weekly L10 meeting that stands for Level 10 meeting again from EOS. And it's a game changer. Everyone updates the team on their progress and we solve issues together. And finally five is to celebrate wins. This is probably one of the most overlooked steps and it matters so much when someone takes ownership and nails it. You've gotta celebrate them. And recognition is fuel for trust. If you do these five things, you will build a team that not only supports you, they'll lead you. And that is honestly one of the most incredible feelings in the world. Now I know some of you are thinking, but if I delegate, I'll lose control. So let me challenge that. The real truth is that delegation gives you more control, not less. When you have clear systems and clear roles and clear expectations, you actually gain more clarity and confidence. It's not a free for all, it's a strategy. I used to feel this way too though, and I thought if I'm not involved, everything will fall apart. And I'm prone still thinking that sometimes, but I know that the opposite is true. It has to do with Empowerment and proper delegation. It doesn't mean chaos, it means clear systems and clear accountability. When someone owns something, they don't only own that part of the business, they own the outcome as well. Okay, my friends, let's wrap up. Delegation is the key to scaling your business and really thriving. It's going to give you so much time back, so much mental clarity back. Here's the path. Define the roles clearly with an accountability chart. Something I'll note here is that even if you don't have a team, you might still create an accountability chart. Your name might be in all of the boxes, but at least you know what the boxes are and you can start thinking about delegating from there. The next one is to start small so trust can grow. Then set clear expectations with 90 day goals. Or you can call them rocks. Adopt a weekly check in like a level 10 meeting. Celebrate wins because recognition fuels motivation. When you do these five things, you're going to create a team that's ready to lead. And you'll have more freedom and more time and more peace of mind. If you want to dive deeper in this, you can also read Rocket Fuel. So if you're ready to take action, I have something for you. I've created a delegation checklist to help you put these steps into motion. It's a simple step by step guide that you can download today. Head over to today's show notes@theprofessionalcreative.com to grab it. It's totally free and I know it's going to make a big impact for you. Coming up, we will be continuing the conversation about how to create team culture that thrives on ownership and accountability. This builds on what we talked about today, so you're not going to want to miss it. My friends, create the beauty that you

want to see come alive in the world.

And remember, there's room for Sam.