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“Rubix cubes are easy when you’re colorblind.” – Unknown
Xanthocyanopsia: ability to discern yellow and blue tints, but not red or green. [Dug deep for this one!]
I was talking with a leader of an organization recently, and they were in need of hiring a person who could creatively take them to the next level when it came to creating sold out followers. Their processes have been effective thus far, however they could not sustain the current growth factor the way they were structured. What’s more, aspect of the organization had been the “baby” of the leader, but he knew in order for the organization to grow he had to step away from what he enjoyed doing to do what only he could do for his organization.
Most leaders struggle with this concept. They have started a business, club, church, etc. and in the early stages they were able to execute the tasks which they enjoyed. As the organization increases however, the leader becomes responsible for the overall growth and health of the organization, and has need to step away from the specific nuances of tasks that can, and should, be delegated. If a leader can not give up that “baby,” it creates a lack of focus for them because they will constantly be taking time away from “leader specific tasks” to work on a task that should be delegated to a capable individual.
When there is a lack of focus the natural result is a lack of productivity. When we try to be good at many things we end up being good at nothing. The task we once enjoyed becomes a frustration because we can’t give it the time to make it great, or we give too much time to the task, and in the process we leave undone the imperative tasks of our organization.
In Timothy Ferriss’ 4 Hour Work Week he discusses the Pareto Principle where 20% of your work produces 80% of your results. Good leaders not only recognize the tasks that only they can do, they recognize the tasks the that yield the best results. They become colorblind. They focus on what is pertinent to their organization’s success, and they ignore (aka: delegate) the rest.
Which tasks are you holding onto that you need to delegate?
Which tasks are yielding your best results? (don’t delegate those)
Square One Leadership 