Minute With Mallon: Stop Doing It All!
Welcome to Minute with Mallon!
Something I Taught:
I work with leaders. And one thing that all the leaders I’ve worked with have needed to improve upon when I first started working with them is delegation.
Most are too busy working "in the business" as opposed to "on the business."
It's endemic!
So before teaching them the most effective ways to delegate, first I try to get them thinking. My first task is to wake them up to the fact that 80% of the time they're focused on the wrong things.
Last week I was working with a larger group within an organization, and we were specifically focused on why delegation is so important for any manager/leader.
I'm going to share five questions I asked them early in the conversation to get them thinking, along with the reasons why I asked these particular questions. (I'm sharing them with you because I love you! 🤭)
What are the tasks and responsibilities that only you can perform, and what are the ones that could be delegated to others?
● (This helps identify the unique value you bring and distinguishes tasks that can be delegated.)
How much time do you spend on routine operational tasks versus strategic planning and visionary activities?
● (This question aims to help you reflect on how your time is allocated and whether it's aligned with your priorities.)
What are the potential benefits for your team and the company if you delegate more effectively?
● (This question encourages thinking about the positive outcomes of delegation, such as team development, increased efficiency, and business growth.)
What barriers do you face when it comes to delegating tasks, and how might these be overcome?
● This one helps identify and address obstacles to delegation, whether they are trust issues, lack of training, or control concerns.
Can you think of a recent project or task that could have been delegated, and what would have been the impact on your workload and the team's development?
● Finally, this one encourages specific reflection on past opportunities for delegation and the potential benefits of having done so.
Why are these questions so important for any leader to ask themselves?
These questions help you improve as a delegator by encouraging self-reflection and helping you develop a more strategic mindset. Answering these questions clarifies what's most important, helping you shift from getting sidelined by routine tasks to becoming a more visionary leader.
The questions address the most common challenges that you are (or will be) facing. And they help you to truly focus on the top 20% that brings in almost all the good that you produce.
So take 10 minutes to reflect on these five questions, just like my clients did. This simple exercise will help you to unlock your leadership potential by identifying where you can delegate, empower your team, and focus on what truly matters!
Something to Ponder:
The greatest danger for most of us is not that our aim is too high and we miss it, but that it is too low and we reach it.
Michelangelo
Something I Learned:
Hey, even if you're still in your 20s, pay attention here. I'm reading an incredibly good book called, "Die With Nothing," by Bill Perkins. The book challenges conventional thinking about money and retirement, offering a practical guide to prioritize meaningful experiences over accumulation, so you can maximize fulfillment and live a life rich with memorable moments. It's never too early to begin thinking about this.
One of the concepts Perkins talks about is that as we age, our money and net worth tends to go up while our health goes down. So later in life (as we reach our 50s, 60s, 70s, etc.) we have the money for doing lots of things, but often not the health.
Here's a quick passage for you to think about:
"Why Your Health Is More Valuable Than Your Money: Nothing has a greater effect on your ability to enjoy experiences—at any age—than your health. In fact, health is actually a lot more valuable than money, because no amount of money can ever make up for very poor health—whereas people in good health but with little money can still have many wonderful experiences.
Just being significantly overweight can put a damper on your enjoyment of life, if only because of all the extra pressure additional weight puts on your knees. I’ll bet you know people who, because of bad knees or weak muscles or just self-consciousness about their bodies, avoid many experiences that others around them take pleasure in, such as hiking or ziplining or delighting in the water and the sun on the beach. Or they go on the hike with everyone else, but they’re huffing and puffing, really struggling to eke out any kind of enjoyment out of this potentially fun activity. Some of these people might even have been athletes when they were younger; it’s just that when they stopped being physically active.
It’s easy for that to happen, especially for people with jobs that consume most of their waking hours and energy and require sitting in front of a computer screen all day. And to what end? When the demanding job finally brings you financial success, do you still have the key ingredient (health) for enjoying that success?"
So at any age, it's so important to continuously work on our health and fitness. This is just one of many great lessons Bill teaches in his book. I'm not sure I agree with everything he says, but I'd give the book a solid "10" and would recommend it to anyone!
Enjoy!
Something I Saw:
I appreciate you taking the time to read, and if you know someone who might benefit from this, feel free to pass it along: RobertMallon.com/Newsletter
Merry Christmas my friend! 🎄
Robert
