Many leaders feel stuck. Don’t misunderstand me, they’re busy, but busy doesn’t mean you are moving forward. Are you tired of feeling stuck? If so, here are 5 insights on how you can move forward, without increasing your daily load.

Insight #1 – Take a step back to evaluate your current load.

Most leaders are going in so many directions that they find it difficult to stop long enough to evaluate their current load.  

Take a couple of days just to give thought to what you do in your company.  Write down the roles, tasks, and responsibilities on paper. Very likely, you will be shocked regarding your seemingly endless list of weekly duties. 

Divide the duties into primary and secondary levels of importance. Primary duties are those that only you can do. Secondary duties can be done by others.  

Evaluate your results. You may discover that your life is filled with secondary duties. One reason you are so busy is that you are doing a lot of things that someone else could do. Think about it!

Insight #2 – Determine if you are working in your strengths.

Everyone is good at something. No one is good at everything. Do you know your “super strengths”?  Many leaders do not.  I use two assessments to help leaders gain good self-awareness (YouMap and DISC).  

Understanding yourself allows you to position yourself in your strengths. When you work at least 80% of your time, energy and focus in your strengths, it’s a game changer.  

Leaders often fail to value their strengths. Because your strengths come easily to you, you assume that anyone can do what you do. That’s not true, my friend. They are easy because that’s how you're wired. Don’t undervalue your strengths.  

You will always have to do some things that you are not good at doing and you do not like doing. Limit those duties to no more than 20% of your time, energy and focus. 

Insight #3 – Look at your team.

Take an honest look at your team. Do you know their strengths? Do they complement you well?

Having people on your team doesn’t mean they complement you well. Once you know your personal strengths, you want to make sure your team members have the ability to do the things that you do not do well.  

Believe it or not, there are people who love doing what you hate doing, and they do it very well. 

Getting the right people on the bus and getting them on the right seat on the bus will change your life. They will experience fulfillment, and you will experience great freedom.

Insight #4 – Offload areas of weakness.

Begin to offload your personal areas of weakness. If you are a people person, you will likely need some help with details or organization. No matter how hard you work, you will have limited ability to become a detailed person. It’s like putting the proverbial square peg in a round hole. Even if you force it, it doesn’t work very well. Instead, put the square peg in a square hole.  

Delegating to others doesn’t mean you fail to provide guidance or direction; but you assign your weak areas to someone who is strong in those areas.   

Not only will they enjoy those responsibilities. They will perform them extremely well.

Insight #5 – Realign your role in the organization.

Realign your role based on where you fit best. If you are a people person, spend your time with people.  Doing so will energize you, rather than drain you.  

Give away those areas that drain you (as much as possible). For example, you can assign facility responsibilities to someone. If you select the right person, he will do a better job than you. After all, that’s his primary and perhaps only role. It is his primary focus. 

Everyone gets stuck periodically. Getting stuck is not a problem. Staying stuck is a problem.

Many leaders wear themselves out, because they try to do too much and work at doing things that do not fit well. Don’t be that leader.  Free yourself up by applying these insights to your company today!