All those great ideas of how I can grow and make my practice better Jean-Guy are all great. I love them. But here’s the problem Jean-Guy, I just don’t have the time. I have all these fires to put out. I have all these files to review. I have all these clients who absolutely want my time and attention. And my team just won’t leave me alone. I’d love to get to those great strategies you proposed Jean-Guy, but I just cannot see how this will ever happen in the foreseeable future.
Delegate you say? Look at my long list Jean-Guy. Who can I delegate all these tasks and responsibilities to? Impossible. You just don’t understand what I’m living Jean-Guy.
Oh Really I say. So please tell me what it is that you have on your plate that you absolutely cannot delegate? And what is it that you have that’s more important than taking care of the absolutely most important client of them all? YOU!!!!
Why is it that we always make time for our clients but so little at servicing our team, our practice and ourselves. Hell, we’ll prioritize some really stupid crap over taking care of our business. Pay really close attention to all the things you do all day, every day. I’m sure you’ll find that there are tons of things you’re doing that you could:
- Delegate
- Outsourcing
- Postpone
- Or even scratch right off your list with little consequence to your practice.
How do I know this? Because EVERYONE is guilty of this, including the idiot writing this article.
But I can’t delegate these tasks! My team is just not ready!!! Well of course not. And they never will be unless you let them try, fail and learn. How many things did you learn to do without trying, failing and doing better in time?
There are just sooooooo many excuses for not delegating that it makes my head spin. My God some people are so creative at finding reasons to NOT delegate. Can you at least be as creative at finding solutions to getting things off your list as you are at finding excuses for not doing so? Ohhhh but Jean-Guy, you just don’t understand. Like hell I don’t.
Admittedly, delegating requires spending time training which will, momentarily, render you less productive on the short term. Deal with it. Necessary evil. But at least the long term effects are GREAT.
Delegating requires courage. Yes it does. Get some.
Delegating requires trust. Yes it does. Learn to trust others as others have trusted you. Learn to give your team more credit. You chose them to join your team. Surely they’re trustworthy.
Delegating may result in things not being done exactly how you want it done. This is also true. But remember that YOUR way may not be the best way. Some clients may prefer it done some other way. And even if it is done in an inferior manner, if it can allow you to spend more time doing things that are more important and better benefit the firm, isn’t the payoff a good one? Of course it is.
But here’s where I think most of us fall off the wagon. When overwhelmed, our stupid brain takes over and we now have a difficult time finding a solution to our overwhelmedness. (Google tells me this isn’t a word but I think it should be). We need to take a deep breath, maybe pretend you’re providing advice to someone else, and ask yourself what you’d say. And if that doesn’t work, have someone you trust on your team help you prioritize and decide what to do with your super long to-do list. And of course, you can always call me. I’d be happy to go over your list with you and help you add perspective to what you’re living.
So please, stop thinking that there’s no way out of your predicament. There is. You simply need to have courage, trust, and sometimes, be creative.
Now go and take care of what matters most! You and your practice!