When you’re in a position of executive leadership or entrepreneurship, there are days (like everyday!) you probably wish you had a second you and at least four more daytime hours to get ahead of your schedule. You dream of what it might be like to call it a day and really set the day behind you. But alas, you find calls left to make, emails left to answer, and a slew of other tasks that will move to tomorrow’s to-do list.
For a second, ask yourself these questions:
1. Just because I can do something, does it mean I should?
2. Can someone else handle some of my day to day tasks?
3. Is what I’m doing making the best use of my time? What else could I do, or what money could I make if I released some tasks?
People in leadership often have a hard time with letting go. It makes sense. You’ve built a brand. You’ve led a successful team or venture. According to the Harvard Business Review, one of the most difficult transitions for leaders to make is the shift from doing to leading. It’s second nature when you’re a go-getter to roll up your sleeves and get the job done. But how many jobs can you actually do and do well?
In order that your leadership might grow, you have to learn to let it go.That’s why the most successful leaders delegate and outsource.
Look to Your Team’s Leaders
When you have team member employees, you can often look to who your rising leaders are to know who you can trust to delegate tasks. Keep in mind people’s leadership strengths. The person who is highly detail-oriented is probably not the best person to delegate email responses, as they may spend too long on the task and pull productivity from other tasks; however, that person may help greatly on coordinating the minutia of events and project calendars. Conversely, the task-oriented leader will probably not give you great work on jobs which require a high amount of attention to details. Chances are someone in your organization will be as great if not greater than you at what’s weighing down your time. Your employees will appreciate your trust in their leadership when you delegate.
Small Businesses Have More Options Than Ever
Perhaps you have a very small team, or you are a solopreneur. There is still a way for you to get back to what you do best- outsourcing.
Face it. You can’t possibly do it all, and the great news is that with the age of technology, you have access to freelancers, organizers, task runners, event coordinators, contractors, and virtual assistants to build a hand-picked team to do practically everything you can’t or shouldn’t continue doing- communications and PR, blogs, website maintenance, bookkeeping, and legal consult just to name a few. According to the Mckinsey Report, Independent Work: Choice, Necessity, and the Gig Economy as many as 162 million people in the United States and Europe are working independently in some way. Your options are wide open. Look at reviews, get recommendations from other leaders on who they are using, and remember that you get what you pay for.
Be More Productive and Happy
Many people are hesitant at first to delegate budgets for these tasks, because they simply look at the cost but fail to recognize what they are already losing. Each hour you spend not making money doing what you do best is a loss. The stress and lack of joy you experience while you wrestle tasks which go outside your skillset is also a huge price to pay.
The truth is if you can make more money exercising your talents while delegating or outsourcing the rest, Carver Concierge provides a large suite of executive support services from planning travel and events to relocation services to taking on day-to-day tasks. We can even research some outsourcing options for you. With Carver’s team on your side, you’ll get back your time and your joy.