What Should You Stop Doing?
“Write down your favorite quote” said the lady at a recent reception where I was to be introduced to a lot of new people. Nothing came to mind. Here I was under pressure to come up with something good and my mind was failing me. Out of nowhere this comes out:
Every leader must learn that just because you can do something, it doesn’t mean you should.
That was it. Of all the books I’ve read and of all the people I’ve studied is that THE quote? Come on. But it has stuck with me over the past few weeks since the incident. As I think back in my professional career, I have lived and continue to live that statement. As a matter of fact, the more I’m able to apply it to my life, the more successful I become.
I remember the first time that I decided to stop fixing the office printer early on my career. Yes, I could do it, but so could someone else and my time was best served elsewhere. It’s not that I’m too important to fix the printer, but for every hour I spend dealing with printer issues, I fail to do the most important things I could do for my company: lead, sell and inspire.
I remember the day I stopped designing. I loved to tinker on the computer and come up with very cool graphics. It took me hours, even days to come up with very nice work that I enjoyed, but, that ultimately did not help grow and develop my business.
The big question then is “what should I do that only I can do for this organization?” Once I understood the answer to that question and began to work in that sweet spot, I saw growth.
Today I work with people who are much smarter, more sensitive and talented than me. But I know that what I do everyday contributes the most to my team. Often I find myself going back to doing the things I’m capable of doing but shouldn’t be doing them. When I do that, everyone loses.
What about you? What’s your sweet spot or what should you give up in order to grow?
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7 Comments:
For me is micromanaging. I'm a control freak and I need to get into every detail. But it's easier said than done. This is a tough one for me.
September 18th, 2009 at 8:31 am
@anonymous,Did I use to work for you?
September 18th, 2009 at 8:32 am
Maurilio, wow, exactly what I needed to hear today. Thanks for the post, I think I now have a new favorite quote
September 24th, 2009 at 5:32 am
This has become a painful reality for me on more than one occasion. Thankfully it’s something I’ve been learning to work through with a great degree of intentionality over the last couple years. It’s hard to let go but the price for holding on is far greater.
September 29th, 2009 at 4:31 pm
"can do something, it doesn't mean you should"Leader is a person who is not controlled by anyone else. Leader is a person who have and follow his own vision, … Leaders know a lot of things.Yeees?Mobcracy, Mob society -> By definition, Mob is considered as being people whose opinions, feelings, … change from moment to moment, and whose actions are not the result of thought or reason. That's very bad. Maybe that's why?
October 1st, 2009 at 11:18 pm
Great quote. Great reminder. Great post
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August 28th, 2010 at 9:36 am