When I started my career over 30 years ago, I assumed that hard work and perseverance were the keys to success. Leading by example—working longer and harder than anyone—was the correct path, right? Well, partially.
Over the years, I have been involved in several ventures including founding a firm from scratch and growing it into a very successful business. I learned that as my business grew so did my list of duties and responsibilities along with the number of hours worked and my stress level.
My job description and those of my staff had been created by reacting to the needs of the moment rather than to the needs of my employees (me included). Over time, the obvious result was an organization that was less efficient (and less happy) than it could have been.
Many years ago, my eyes were opened. One of my key employees came into my office on a Friday afternoon to announce that he was leaving the firm (Oh No!). When I asked why, he said, “In 20 years, I don’t want to be you, Rick.” He was right. I didn’t want to be me either.
The next week I made a commitment to change.
I assessed my duties and responsibilities, then ranked them in terms of what I like and dislike doing and what I’m good at and not so good at. I did the same for others in the firm. At the “end of the day,” I adjusted and rebalanced everyone’s duties and responsibilities. The result was a much happier group of people AND a more productive firm.
Now, we look forward to coming to work each day to spend our time doing what we enjoy and are good at.
Please share your experiences with me. Do you have an opportunity to do what you do best every day? Do you like what you do? Don’t wait! Now is the time to undertake your own assessment and make necessary changes.
