From today forward, I am being the point guard.
For years selling used machinery, I’ve constantly thought about how I need to delegate, how I need to stop trying to do everything. When I try to do too much, it’s a mess. I don’t do as good a job as I could have, and I get less done.
One of my issues is my ego. My brain says: I’m the best deal maker. I’ve made a study of this deal. I know this person better than the others do. This should be my task because I know how to do it better than everyone else. Those who know me well know that “should” is a verboten word in my vocabulary.
The other big problem is that I feel like if I ask other people to do things, it means I’m lazy, that I’m not doing my share or being a leader.
And even when I know I’m not being lazy, when I know I’m doing my part, I’m still self-conscious that other people will think I’m slacking.
Recently I worked from home because I was too tired to drive in. But first, I sat in my car for several minutes, going back and forth. Should I drive in and be seen doing my job, even if I felt sleepy? Even if I actually might focus better at home? Or, should I work from home and get judged for it? (Ugh. More “shoulds.”)
Of course, nobody said a word to me. But I hated that I had such insecurity about the situation.
So I’m shifting my mindset. Instead of trying to be the guy who scores all the time, I’m going to be the point guard. I want to pass the ball. I want my teammates to call more of the leads who email us about machines, so they score more. When they score more, we all win.
Question: What is the hardest thing for you to hand off?
