Chief of Everything. Do you ever feel like that’s what you should be calling yourself? When I started my own business I was very much the Chief of Everything (CoE). I had to be. Eventually I needed to move past this role, but I believed  no one could do it as well as I could.

It was exhausting!

I slowly realized that holding the title of Chief of Everything was working against me. It was holding me back from growing my business and providing service to my clients at the level I preferred. Mostly due to the fact that there were always at least three more things that needed to be done…

It was time for me to change my role within the company and start filling those positions on my organizational chart. [bctt tweet=”My first step was to create a Do Not Do List, also known as the ‘Who Else Can Do This’ list.” username=”YourAlterEgos”]

Building Your Anti-Chief of Everything Plan

• Make an organizational chart
  • Write down everything that you do including the tasks you hate
• Make a list of everything that you should be doing to grow your business
• Now, a list of tasks that anyone can do with little direction
  • That essential busy work that stops you from getting to the meat and potatoes of your company’s growth
• Lastly, list the tasks that you know how do to, but someone else can do better and faster (e.g., accounting)

My Delegation Journey

In addition to fleshing out my organizational chart,  I also looked for an assistant and was fortunate enough to find the perfect one. Unfortunately I hadn’t focused on what she could do for me. She’d come to the office and sit there waiting for me to think of something she could help me with in the moment.

I just wasn’t very effective at delegating. After all, it would take longer to explain than to just do it myself… the problem, of course, was that I wasn’t getting to the work because of distractions and client crises that arise throughout the day.  Eventually I began to focus on assigning the tasks that would play to her strengths and we both became more confident in our abilities to get more done.

As I continue to build my team, I still catch myself creating bottlenecks by not delegating tasks I know I can do. Unfortunately, I still occasionally overestimate how much I can get done in a day. Then I end up having to delegate at the 11th hour. Not a good way to keep your team happy.

I keep that list handy and updated pulls me back to reality. The list helps me remember that I’m the CEO, in charge of the direction and momentum of my business. How do you fight the urge to be the CoE of your company? We look forward to your thoughts.

Photo credit: Copyright: kzenon / 123RF Stock Photo