If your diary is always neatly organised, never gets double-booked, and you have plenty of time to go for a bike ride over lunch, then this message may not be for you.
But for everyone else, keep reading.
I bet you’re looking to delegate more effectively. Feeling overwhelmed and like work is not sustainable is a common problem. Perhaps your team wants more responsibility, and you’ve got an eye on succession planning.
Being a great leader is about enabling others, and you want to do just that.
The issue is that every time you delegate a task successfully, something replaces it, and you’re stuck in a game of whack-a-mole. But here’s the important extra step you may be missing.
Just yesterday, I was coaching an Associate Director who wants his managers to delegate more. He’s exhausted and noticed that one of his managers had started working into the night.
Our conversation went like this:
“If your managers start delegating more, what will this enable them to do?”
“They can get a better work/life balance and start being the go-to people in the team and take some of that burden from me.”
“And what will that enable you to do that you’re not doing now?”
“I want some thinking time.”
“To think about what?”
There was a big pause, and then he said:
“Future developments. We need to be cutting edge, and I need the capacity to plan and innovate. And I’ve got an ISO accreditation I’m responsible for that is crucial for future bids and is in danger of failing.”
Jackpot. He was telling me about the important work that gets sacrificed because of the “busy.”
If you don’t describe the important work, you can’t tell your managers about it, you can’t measure whether it’s happening, and you’ll have no accountability.
Which means it won’t happen. And you’ll keep prioritising the “busy” until there’s a work crisis.
Or worse, a life crisis.
P.S. Curious? The first step is a no pressure intro chat. When we have that call, we’ll get you clear on what’s keeping you from the important work.