“The unique talent that I bring to my business is my ability to manage my calendar and email,” said no leader ever.
Often, leaders get trapped into doing things like scheduling and email while the hours in our day vanish with little or no benefit to the company. I’m not sure why we get trapped doing things like this, but it’s common. This work could easily be done by someone else, but many leaders resist delegating these tasks – to the detriment of themselves and their companies.
EOS Implementers™ teach clients to use The Assistance Track™to refocus how they use their time. A large part of this involves handing off tasks to someone else who is better suited to do those tasks.
Delegate Your Email and Scheduling to an Assistant
While the tasks you end up delegating will depend on your own unique skills and abilities, every leader can benefit from delegating their email and schedule to a trusted assistant.
Imagine if you saved 5 – 10 hours per week by simply handing your email and scheduling tasks over to an assistant. Now imagine if you were freed up to use those extra hours to create something of enormous value for the company. For example, let’s say you’re paying someone $30 per hour, but it frees you up to use your time to work on things that generate $300 per hour in value for your company. That’s a 10x multiplier!
When I became an EOS Implementer, I hired an assistant – and it was game-changing for me. I quickly recognized that the tasks of managing my own schedule and calendar were not in my “sweet spot,” which meant that they not only sucked time from my day, but they also sucked energy from my soul. Hiring an assistant helped me to focus my time on work that creates energy, which enabled me to grow my business and help more people.
Consider the impact you could create if you refocused your email and scheduling energy on work that brought more benefit – to you, your company, and your clients.
Find the Right Assistant
To get great results from an assistant, use the Delegate and Elevate™ exercise to get crystal clear on what you need them to execute. Then find the person who matches your company’s Core Values, and was born to do those tasks.
A pinch of self-awareness will go a long way. You need to know yourself first. Understand the way that you work best – your strengths, your style, your weaknesses. Then find someone who complements your strengths and style. Working with an assistant involves letting go and understanding what your assistant needs from you in order to efficiently complete tasks. It's a two-way street.
Next Steps
- Unlock the EOS Toolbox to download a copy of The Delegate and Elevate Tool.
- Read this blog post to learn how to complete the Delegate and Elevate exercise.
This post originally appeared on the Strategic Traction Blog on April 9, 2018.
