What I do, I do very well, and what I don’t do well, I don’t do at all. Anon
Many of us are palgued by the bad habit of biting off more than what we can chew. Partly, it is because we are forced into it by superiors but mainly because we have a misplaced belief in our own abilities and an inability to decline a task or say NO. The net result is that some tasks get completed well and on time but most tasks remain carelessly done or remain undone.
The best way to ensure that we do what we take on is to be realistic about our abilities and plan the jobs well before we delve into it. We would need to put our best efforts into the tasks on hand and if need be, seek help from the experts or those more knowledgeable. Learning to politely decline a task if overburdened or lacking the skill sets to accomplish it, would be a great asset too.
As we grow professionally our duties and responsibilities increase too. When we take on the leadership role, it is vital that we also learn to delegate and let go the mundane jobs, to subordinates. We need to focus on those tasks that require our expertise and experience. Just be judicious in delegating task and ensure that delegation dose not masquerade as ‘shirking work’
Remember : We can never be the best in all what we do, but we must do our best in whatever we do.
Try these :
- Make a list of 5 to -10 tasks that you have to do yourself and whch cannot be delegated.
- Make another list of current tasks that you can delegate to others. Outline an action plan to do so. Ensure that you give them the job specifications clearly and also have a feedback mechanism in place to be able to monitor the pace of work
- Read the book ‘How not to say yes when you want to say No.’ and ‘The One minute Manager meets the Monkey”
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