Are Your Strengths Your Biggest Time Waster?
If you’re already overwhelmed with your workload, this could be a hidden thing to take off your to-do list
Andrew threw up his hands in frustration. After a few hours of analysis, he found that not only were his staff fudging their timesheets, but his accountant wasn’t properly tracking cash flow and transferring payroll on time.
And it wasn’t the first time. He’s had conversations before with people to point out the mistakes and get them to follow through. And depending on the month, sometimes his input would help, but then they’d slip up again.
Here’s the thing: Andrew has spent his career in finance before venturing out for himself. He knows how to win huge contracts and invest millions. Numbers and data analysis are his expertise, and his record of success makes him attractive to clients.
So, why is he spending time reviewing and fixing timesheets and payroll transactions?
It’s not just Andrew’s fault. If anything, because of Andrew’s background, his staff started to view him as the hero who would swoop in to fix things. Perhaps this is why they didn’t feel it was their strong responsibility to be accurate.
So, Andrew’s expertise has caused him to spend his precious time on an area he’s good at but that has hardly any impact on the results he wants in his business compared to what he could be doing. And his expertise has cause his staff to refrain from taking initiative and ownership.
What about you - are you using your strengths for high impact?
This happens a lot, especially for professionals who are both experts as well as leaders. It’s common to feel a sense of obligation to step in and help team members who are less knowledgeable, but ultimately it takes time away from bigger initiatives they’ve been promoted for. It also winds up spreading them way to thin, which reinforces a stereotype that leaders need to put in more hours.
Questions to ask yourself to evaluate how you are spending time
What would you say is the hourly rate you’d be paid for the task you are doing?
Is completing this task essential for your performance evaluation?
Is doing this task preventing someone else from a learning opportunity?
Does doing this task excite you, or does it feel like a necessary burden?