One of the actions I have taken as a result of some of the learning from these programs is the hiring of a personal assistant.  Some of you have considered this idea, but do not believe you are ready for it.  For others, you are hesitant to take the leap for financial reasons.  I understand.  It took me some time to make the decision myself.

At the same time, I believe so strongly in the personal assistant concept and in the many benefits, that I wanted to share with you my top 5 reasons for my decision. You may or may not decide to follow suit by hiring a personal assistant for yourself.  Either way, I encourage you to think hard about the ideas I present and make some effort to apply them to your work.

Reason #1 – You Are Not Good At Everything

I know this idea is not shocking to you, but at the same time, we all seem to ignore this concept when it comes to our work.  Too many times, I have found myself taking hours to complete work that I cannot do quickly or with excellence.  I convince myself that there are just some things that come with leading a business and I must get them done.

Has this happened to you?  Are you engaged in work at times that falls outside of your skill set?  Do you find yourself more or less efficient at these tasks?  Have you bought into the idea that this is just part of leading, or are you willing to consider another perspective?

Reason #2 – You Do Not Enjoy Everything

Okay, now I KNOW you understand where I am coming from.  We all have parts of our jobs that we do not enjoy.  Whatever our business or job, it is just silly to believe that we will enjoy every task or project that comes our way.  I understand that.

However, think about the tasks and responsibilities that you really are good at completing, with exceptional results.  Think about the parts of your job that energize you and engage your passion.  Where these ideas overlap, Strategic Coach calls this your Unique Ability.  Are you more or less effective when doing these things?  Are your results better or worse when working in the areas you actually enjoy?  

Reason #3 – Someone Else Excels At (And Enjoys) Your Weak Areas

The idea that certain people excel at and enjoy certain parts of their jobs means that there are others who experience the same results in different areas.  One person’s drudgery is another’s wheelhouse!  If this is true, then think about the possibilities of matching people with their preferred areas.

Think about the idea that there is someone out there who is actually exceptional at the stuff you struggle to complete.  What if that person also gets energy and passion from completing that stuff?  Would it not make sense to improve their position (and yours!) by giving them those tasks to complete?

Reason #4 – The Economics Support It

What are you worth per hour?  Think about the parts of your job that only you can do and do exceptionally well.  What would you have to pay someone else to do those things?  If that is confusing, just take your income and divide by the number of hours you work to produce it.  That is your hourly value.

Now think about those parts of your job that you clearly do not enjoy.  List the tasks and responsibilities that you struggle to complete with excellent results. If you are like most in your position, these include clerical and basic administration tasks.  Does it make sense to pay someone your hourly value (from above) to do these tasks?  As long as you continue to take on these tasks, that is exactly what you are doing.  

Reason #5 – Your Impact Increases When Using Your Unique Ability

The truth I have found is that my impact on the world around me is dramatically increased when I am operating in my Unique Ability.  When I am working in ways that energize me and produce extraordinary results, I see exponential growth in my impact.

The opposite is true of those times when I get stuck doing those things that drain me of my energy and produce ordinary results at best.  I find that these times reduce, or even eliminate, my impact.  For every hour I can fill with work in my Unique Ability and clear of everything else, I am gaining the influence and impact that God designed me to achieve.

Your Move

Sure, I will agree that it might be wishful thinking to hope to achieve a state where we ONLY do what we excel at and what we enjoy.  However, what if we could move 10-20% closer to that state?  What if we could push to eliminate 30-40% of those tasks and responsibilities that are outside of our Unique Ability?  What would it look like to push these numbers even higher?

I encourage you to think about these 5 reasons and how they apply to your situation.  Of course, I believe that the answer is to hire someone to take on your energy-draining and ordinary-results tasks.  Whether you agree or not, at least begin taking other steps toward greater impact through increasing the percentage of time you spend in your Unique Ability.

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