Let Go

Getting my new hip forced me to let go of doing many things around our house for a few weeks.

My wife had to take care of several chores that I normally handled. Did she do them the way I do? Of course not. Did the world end? Of course not. While it was tough to not be able to do those simple household chores, having to give up control forced me to lighten up about how things were done. The important thing is they were done successfully.

      Same went for the snow we got in mid-February right before our trip. It was too much for me to handle while still recovering from surgery, so I asked our neighbor who takes care of snow removal while we are away to help. Did he clear the property the way I would have. Mostly yes, and I very much appreciate his (and his daughter’s) help. Again, while not exactly like I would have done it, he did a great job (as my wife did during the first 2 little storms we had) and all in the world was good. It didn’t need to be perfect (my idea of perfect) to be OK. Once again, my brain was forced to realize that and let go.

       While the above applies to me at home, the same goes for small business owners and anyone who leads (or manages) people. A huge issue for many small business owners is ceding control of their creation to others. This is usually a vital ingredient to growing that business as one person can only handle so much, and good employees will eventually resent not being given the opportunity to do more and to grow with the business.

      In the corporate world, managers need to delegate tasks to their teams or risk being buried with ever-increasing demands. This takes trust and it separates the people managers from the people leaders. People managers have teams that require a lot of direction and are hesitant to do things on their own. People leaders have teams of highly capable people who can act independently and who thrive on new challenges.

      I am grateful for the lesson that getting my new hip taught me (proof you can teach old dogs new tricks). By not being able to do certain things I was forced to confront the need for help and give up my idea of how to do things in favor of being satisfied that they were done successfully. For those of you who own a business and those of you in managerial positions, my message is to have faith in your key employees and delegate tasks readily to ease your workload and help them develop. Letting go will help you, your employees, and your business grow.

ww.RetiredandInspiredat55.com  3-11-2024