Start with these questions to find out:
If you could not answer yes to the majority of these questions, you most likely have a delegation issue.
In my 15 years of working with entrepreneurs, I have found that one of the biggest things holding the company back is the Visionary not truly embracing their role. “I don’t get what I am supposed to be doing anymore, Jim.” I have heard multiple variations of this sentiment over the years as Visionaries have started their journey to really sitting in their seat.
Many times these Visionary were doers that struggle to see thinking as work. So, they don’t delegate the things they really shouldn’t be doing. They hang on to the sales role, even though it is causing problems with the team. They continue to manage the accounts, even though the customer isn’t really getting the service they need. They are “helping” with the design when it really isn’t much help.
Even if you are good at the role you are performing, is this really your highest and best use in the company? If not, then it is time to delegate.
Your first step to recovery is bringing clarity to the issue. What are all the things you are doing in the company? The best tool for this is your Accountability Chart. Think through your average day/week and be honest about roles that you are really diving into. If you do that work frequently, put yourself on the Accountability Chart for that role. I recently did this with a Visionary/owner and they were surprised to see their name in four other functions besides their real passion: being the Visionary.
Once you have the clarity about the functions you are doing, ask the leader of that function if they think this is truly your highest and best use of time. If you are sitting in multiple Leadership Team seats ask the Integrator the same question. Depending on the size of your company, you very well may need to fill a couple of seats (most likely not 5). Without reducing your role in these additional seats, your time will always be pulled into the urgent, minimizing or eliminating the value you can bring as a Visionary (the important, but not always urgent). Your next step is to delegate what really isn’t your highest and best use. If there is no one to delegate your work to, hire.
I know all of this is easy for me to say (or write about), but trust me, if you are truly gifted as a Visionary, then it will be absolutely worth it. Get out of your team’s way and watch them flourish. Become the Visionary your team and company deserve: DELEGATE.