You’ve heard the statement “If you want something to be done right, do it yourself”?
Coming from a household with a strong woman presence and immigrant work ethic I used to hear it all the time. Often it was carried by a tone of exasperated frustration… “a move aside, I GOT IT” vibe. I’ve caught myself doing the same thing time and time again.
But is this mindset healthy? Productive? Effective? Entrepreneurship has a funny way of challenging everything you used to think as normal.
It was normal for me to try to figure out on my own and never ask for help.
It was normal to feel overwhelmed with my to-do list but unwilling to delegate because no one “can get it done as well as I can.”
It was normal for me to FINALLY allow someone to help and then proceed to micromanage.
You know where all of that landed me, stuck and super frustrated that I couldn’t reach my full potential. To be successful, there will be plenty of things you will have to unlearn. A significant amount of it is thoughts & statements accepted by the public. Here are four reasons why I no longer think that “If you want something to be done right, you have to do it yourself.”
1. It shows poor leadership skills
One of my favorite authors John C. Maxwell, the authority, an expert in the field of leadership (seriously….look him up he’s AMAZING) said something that blew my mind. True leaders replicate more leaders. You won’t grow in influence if you’re not willing to train someone to do what you do. If you’re always doing it yourself, you’re losing your power to influence significant change.
2. It’s hella Prideful
There’s a difference between knowing you produce great work and results and believing ONLY you can provide that great work and achievement.
3. It limits Your Reach
As an entrepreneur, if you are always in your business, you’re missing out on driving the vision forward. Visionaries work ON their companies and dreams they don’t get stuck IN it.
4. The journey is Better Together
Statistics show that there is a significant increase in depression, stress, and overall failure for those who avoid asking for help. Connections Matter. You will go along further with help.
As dreamers, overachievers, entrepreneurs, and go-getters there will always be a sense of I need to do it myself, that thought is not healthy, productive, or effective for you. I didn’t realize how something I heard all through my life growing up, and adopted as a personal philosophy was limiting my growth as a woman, entrepreneur, and just overall human being. This mindset had to go for me to live my BEST life.
Okay Jenny, so what do I do now?
Well, first and foremost congrats on admitting that you don’t want to continue a cycle that’s probably been limiting your shine. Learning to delegate, to trust others with my process, and inviting others into my journey has literally been so rewarding.
But it’s required me to be vulnerable, to be honest with myself about why I avoided help and that level of self-awareness is uncomfortable. If you are up to the challenge here is the process that has helped me so far.
- Do an inventory of your strengths.
- Make a list of no more than 10 and be brutally honest with yourself. Pick the 2-3 that produces the most measurable results and you genuinely can do without getting tired.
- Pick the 2 that is the most mentally exhausting and require the most energy and create an ideal parameter of how you would want it to get done.
- Find one person in your network, willing to help, and delegate the tasks giving them the parameters that you created.
- Trust that person can bring that vision to life with a fresh perspective.
Do you struggle with asking and receiving help?
What’s your biggest struggle with delegating? I’d really love to hear all about it. Please leave a comment below and feel free to share this post on your social media platforms. Let me know if I’ve missed anything!