Photo courtesy of tableatny (Creative Commons)

I struggle with delegation. As a high C on the DISC profile, I tend to obsess over details and having things perfect, which means it is difficult to hand off tasks and responsibilities to others. But I can’t do it all! Like runners on a relay team, I can accomplish more if I hand off the baton and not try to run the whole race myself.

In re-reading and studying Dave Ramsey’s book EntreLeadership with our management team, I am reminded of the fact that I can get caught up spending time on tasks that are urgent but not important, rather than the other way around. I sometimes spend the entire day just entering information in the database or doing other routine things that are urgent (sometimes only because it means one less pile on my desk) but do not help me accomplish any larger goals or finish a bigger project.

If I am not consistent in planning my days, it’s easy to let the important items slip down the list. As a leader, I need to be more focused on accomplishing the important things that only I can do, rather than spending my day doing routine things with which others can help.

I see the solution as having several parts, which must be done consistently and together to be effective.

  1. Set your goals. It’s important to articulate what your larger goals and projects are and what successful completion looks like. I use the 4×4 initiatives which I’ve written about (click here for previous post) to create 4 areas of focus for the next 4 weeks.
  2. Intentionally schedule blocks of time (energy bursts) during your week to focus on your goals or 4×4’s so the less important things won’t consume all of your time.
  3. Review the previous day (or week) to see what tasks or time-wasters kept you from moving ahead on your 4×4’s and help you refine your schedule to accomplish more.
  4. DELEGATE the tasks that you can. This is the hard one. In my case, I need to be more proactive in scheduling volunteers from my data entry team all week to free me up from spending so much time entering information in the database.
  5. Share your progress. Communicate your progress with your team and celebrate moving your 4×4’s ahead. Sharing also gives you accountability to continue moving ahead on your goals, and a feeling of accomplishment when you make progress!

Delegating is the most effective way to allow you to focus on the critical components of your goals, whether for work or personal life. Visualize what you could accomplish if you hand off some of those less important tasks and focus on what you do best as a leader.

What will you let go of today in order to move your goals forward?