Boss Michael vs. the 3-yr-old

A funny conversation ensued when my assistant Camille opened up my Christmas card and showed it to her 3-yr-old daughter Annabelle. And it struck me that it’s a conversation we often have in our own heads that likely holds us back.

Annabelle refers to me in conversations with her mom as “Boss Michael.” Not like a title, but rather, she thinks that’s my actual name. It’s probably because Camille would say something like, “Hang on, I need to finish this email to my boss, Michael” and the little girl would just hear the “Boss Michael.”

But this is the same Camille who once set up my official nickname in the federal government’s vendor database as “Bossy McBossFace,” so you never know if that’s really how it started.

Anyway, here’s the conversation:

Annabelle: “Why doesn’t Boss Michael do the work himself?”

Camille: “He’s busy doing other things.”

Annabelle: “And also is he a little bit lazy?”

Camille: “No, it’s better for him to work hard at the other things.”

Annabelle: “But maybe he doesn’t know how to do it?”

Camille: “No, he could figure it out, but he doesn’t need to, because that’s my job.”

Annabelle’s unfiltered candor cracks me up. Keep questioning authority, girl!

At the same time, her insights make me wonder, “How often do we worry that the adults around us are snarkily asking those very same questions when we delegate or outsource work?”

If you manage a team, or even have the help of an admin staffer or even an intern, you can accomplish WAY more for your organization when you focus on the stuff that only you can do.

And if you’re thoughtful about it, your team can achieve a greater sense of accomplishment and meaning at work when you shift a lot of your typical burden to them.

Sounds right reading it here, doesn’t it? But the “work hard!” work ethic that permeates our culture nags at you with the same doubts Annabelle harbored:

You should just do it yourself.

People will think you’re lazy.

People will think you don’t even know how to do it.

On the contrary, you know what people think about the person who delegates or outsources a lot? “Wow, she keeps reeling in big win after big win – how does she do it?”

As technology continues to reduce the friction of so many everyday tasks, EVERYTHING seems easy enough just to do it yourself. But when you succumb to that philosophy, you have too much going on to succeed at the one or two or three things that really determine your success or failure.

So in the coming year, delegate more so you can focus better. (If you’re not at a stage in your career where you have anyone you can delegate to, then nail all your stuff and get to that stage).

More on this next week.

Happy New Year!