23 October 2022 |

Here is the delegation secret the changed my life

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I’m calling this a deep dive, but I’m hoping it won’t be.

This guide will help you get the most out of each day and ensure you’ve set your team up for success.

Two areas leaders struggle with:

  • Prioritizing
  • Delegating

This simple tool will help you do both more effectively.

A couple of things I’ll note before getting started.

  1. I’m calling this a quadrant for now, but it’s not.
  2. It is inspired by the Eisenhower Matrix but is not the Eisenhower Matrix.

(Watch me break this Matrix Down on TikTok)

Here is the Leader’s Lens Matrix in all of its glory.

Let’s analyze how to get the most out of each box.

Do Now

You should have at most three priorities in this box.

As a leader, you know you will get pulled in a million different directions throughout the day.

  • Fire Drills
  • Staff issues
  • Inventory issues
  • Urgent client matters

Your time to work on forward-thinking projects is limited. You need to be proactive in deciding what you will do with this limited availability. 

These are the tasks that will have the biggest impact on your business.

These might include:

  • 1:1s with direct reports
  • Company-wide communication
  • Focus groups with employees or customers
  • Recognition programs
  • Industry trend analysis
  • Communication with vendors

Whatever these tasks are, get them done EARLY, so the day is a win before you eat lunch.

If you can complete the 3 more critical tasks for your business each day, you can be confident you are moving your organization in a positive direction.

Do Next

The Do Next list can get overwhelming if you let it.

This is the list of important tasks that need to be completed but aren’t today’s top priorities.

This list will become a monster if you let it.

This list should start as a brain dump. 

First, get everything you need to do down on paper. 

Next, take time to organize your list–this might be separate pages in Notion or a color-coded system.

Once everything is on paper and organized, put it aside and don’t think about it until your Do Now list is done.

Delegate

If your Do Next list is full and your Delegate list is empty, you have a problem.

It’s time for you to hand off some of that work.

Be honest with yourself. There is very little on that list that you actually NEED to do. Most of it stays on YOUR list because you want to do or you might hold onto things because you need to be sure they get done.

As a leader, you have to understand the difference between getting work done and doing the work.

It’s only possible for you to scale your impact by learning to delegate effectively.

Pass some of that work on to your team!

Three questions to ask yourself when deciding who to delegate to:

  1. Who has bandwidth?
  2. Who would enjoy this project and do it well?
  3. Who would benefit most from this experience?

Delegation is a great way to look for opportunities for your team to do more of the things they are good at. It’s also a great way to provide development opportunities for your team.

I’ll dive more into delegation at some point, but here is a simple framework for you to use in the meantime.

You can trust you’ve delegated effectively if everyone involved can answer these 4 questions:

  1. Why is this project important?
  2. What is my role in completion?
  3. When do my tasks need to be completed?
  4. How do I complete my tasks?

Follow Up

You have to inspect what you expect.

Once you’ve delegated a task, move it over to the Follow-Up box.

Without follow-up, nothing will move forward in your organization.

Follow-up also allows you to check on progress, recognize a job well done, and provide feedback.

All are investments. 

Don’t Do

This is the best box.

List out the things you won’t do.

Here are a few things on my Don’t Do list:

  • Pick up my phone during a meeting
  • Start my day without listing my priorities
  • Make a change without communicating to all impacted people
  • Commit to a new project without looking at my schedule first

Your Don’t Do list should be filled with the things you know will hold you back. It’s impossible to make this list without self-awareness.

We all have bad habits and actions we take that prevent us from being at our best.

Take time to write this down as a reminder.