Everyone is Smarter than You… – Lesson #27 of 37
Everyone is Smarter than You… – An executive coach once gave me a little sign that said, “Who besides me can get this done?” His purpose in giving me the sign was two-fold. First, to remind me that delegation helps to develop the skills of staff and, second, to free my calendar for tasks that were more strategic in nature. You see, I had fallen into a “trap” of saying to myself, “Oh, this is easy, I’ll just knock it out.” Then, when I found it taking longer than I thought, I ended up delegating the task anyway, and then it was with an urgent deadline which wasn’t fair to those to whom I delegated.
Old habits die hard, and over time, I got better at delegation. Because many of the delegated tasks came back quicker and better than I could have imagined, I soon realized the edge others had on me. This led me to embrace the mantra – Everyone is smarter than you about something. And, it doesn’t just apply in the work setting.
Every day we are bombarded with things about which we know little. That’s when it might behoove us to check in with others. Get inputs about how to deal with whatever you face. A medical condition might need a second opinion. A mechanical problem in your home may need the advice of an expert. An investment that sounds too good to be true, might be if you check in with others. Even news stories, and conspiracy theories deserve a double check. AND, be careful, don’t let biases lead you to seek only the answer you wish to hear. Everyone, and I mean everyone is smarter than you about something? Trust me – or check me on what I say. What do you say?