100% Jodi: What Responsibilities Should You Keep?

Click the play button to listen to the podcast episode. You’ve gotten to the point that you realize you need to make some changes in regard to what you are involved in and what you are responsible for. From here, how do you decide what stays and what goes? In the last 100% Jodi episode, we talked about one of reasons we self-sabotage our success: the fear of having too much responsibility. When our days are full of tasks and obligations, we project that onto a potential future. In this frame of mind, when we consider taking on more responsibility, we picture ourselves miserably buried in work and obligations. To be ready for the future you want, you’ve got to clean up what you’re spending your time on now. In this episode, we’re going to cover what to consider when you are reviewing your responsibilities to analyze what you need to focus on and what needs to find a new home.

Consider the Time and Energy You Spend

I want you to consider how much of your day or week is spent on tasks that…?

• someone else could do
• do not bring you closer to achieving your goals
• drain your energy
• bring you no joy

If you’re answer is “too much time”, we need to do something about this. In this condition you are at risk of missing great opportunities or getting overwhelmed if life throws you a curveball. And life will throw you curveballs so you’ve got to be ready for it. You may have already determined which tasks you’d like to give away. If that’s the case, great! You can get started in making that happen. If you are not sure what tasks to give away, and whom to give them to, let’s explore that now. Before we begin, I’m going to ask you to go through this process with openness. Our notions of what we should be doing and what others are capable of can get in our way when we consider ending obligations, reorganizing who does what or delegating work.

Get in the Right Mindset for Reorganizing Responsibilities

Consider the following:

1. 1. There are very few things (hardly any) that only you can do. Everything else is negotiable.

1. 1. The people around you are more capable than you give them credit for. Allow them to show you what they can do.

1. 1. If volunteering is draining, you have volunteered for either the wrong role, organization or time commitment.

Let’s start with the first one. Depending on your level of leadership, there are some responsibilities that only you can own, like sign the legal documents for your company or role-related signature powers. Only you can attend the one-to-one meeting with your boss or direct reports, and only you are accountable to the performance of your domain. However, you do not need to attend all the meetings, handle all the clients, or do the standard transactions. If someone else can do it, let them do it. Which leads to the next thing to consider: people are more capable than you think they are. A common belief I come across is, “If you want something done right, you have to do it yourself.” I would like you to change that notion to, “Many hands make light work.”

Don’t Assume, Ask

What my clients have discovered, after they have proposed the change or made the change, is that there are people around them who want to take work off their hands. A reorganization of who does what is commonly well-received. You likely have one or more people around you who are looking to take on new things. And with the right things in place, which I’ll cover in the next 100% Jodi episode, they will shine with their new responsibilities. At the very least, ask your team if they have more bandwidth and if they would like to take on more responsibility. You may be surprised by the answer. Lastly, let’s talk about where you are volunteering your time. Volunteering is meant to be a win-win, though we don’t often think of it that way. Many of us volunteer because we want to give back and do good. We think of it as giving away our time and energy. I want you to think about volunteering as a win-win. You give of your time and energy to a good cause and you get back satisfaction and fulfillment, and often an energy boost because you know you are making a difference. For that to happen you need to be volunteering for something that is aligned with your values and strengths. Make sure the organization or group you are volunteering for is focused on issues that are close to your heart. Make sure you are volunteering your talent. If you are assigned a role that contains tasks that are difficult or boring to you, your volunteering will not be as enjoyable because you’ll question how valuable your contribution is. Also, these tasks will likely drain your energy and take longer for you to complete than someone who has an affinity for those tasks.

Get the Right Fit for Your Responsibilities

Some questions you can use when thinking about what organizations to volunteer for and what role you want to play are:

• • What are your goals?

• • What are your values?

• • How much time do you need freed up so you can focus on the things that are vital to you?

In summary, you don’t need to be the one doing everything that you are doing. Give some of it away. Trust that with some training, the people around you are capable of taking on more responsibility and may even be eager for the opportunity. Lastly, if you are not in love with what you are volunteering your time and energy to, start making plans to end the commitment. I want you to add up how much time and energy you would get if you did these things. Once you’ve done that ask yourself, “what would I do with the time and energy that would be available if made these changes?” That answer may be all the motivation you need to get started. In the next 100% Jodi episode we’ll cover your next steps to have your responsibilities lined up so you are only working on those tasks that only you can do or those tasks that will get you closer to accomplishing your goals. I hope this was of value to you and here’s to your success!

Resources

Register for the How to Get Mentally Fit webinar. Learn the 3 core muscles to build mental fitness, as well as the Positive Intelligence operating system to sustain it. Saboteur Assessment. Find out which Saboteurs are impacting your performance, wellness and relationships, and also how they do it. Apply to be on an “On-Air Coaching” episode. Are you a female leader who has been promoted in the last year? Apply to be on the podcast. Leadership Operating System Inventory. Wondering what leadership traits you have? Take this FREE, FAST self-assessment and find out more about yourself as a Leader. Accomplished: How to Go from Dreaming to Doing. A simple, step-by-step system that gives you the foundation as well as the structure to take your goals and make them happen. Leadership Coaching. Are you looking for leadership coaching? Schedule a time to chat with Jodi to explore the potential of coaching and above all, what it can do for you.

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