We can all get lost in our daily hustles as we try to achieve more than what we have accomplished yesterday.
If you let yourself get swallowed by work, there are a lot of consequences, which are, oftentimes, not just harmful to you but on your co-workers as well.
This workplace fact doesn’t exclude billionaires -- although most of us imagine that their lives are easier, we tend to forget that bigger money means a bigger company, which translates to bigger tasks.
Last year, we saw how Elon Musk, founder of car manufacturer Tesla and space exploration company SpaceX, was embroiled in a series of controversies that didn’t just taint his reputation but also cost him serious money. What’s worse was that his businesses got adversely affected, too, and you know how the domino effect works.
His fellow visionary Virgin founder Richard Branson, who, like the 48-year-old, is an entrepreneur extraordinaire as well, gave out a very important piece of advice that sounded so simple and is actually useful not just for the disgraced South African-born businessman but for everyone as well.
Richard, whose Virgin Group manages 400 companies, is nowhere near perfect. He had his fair share of blunders in the past, although it didn’t involve terrifying shareholders or showing erratic behavior in an interview.
Although they are essentially competitors, the 68-year-old advised Elon to learn how to delegate, which could ultimately lead to more tasks done. Although you feel like a superhero who can single-handedly do every task, you’ll later burn yourself out, sacrificing your mental health.
More Profit, More Time
According to career strategist Jenny Blake’s essay in the Harvard Business Review, assigning work, especially straightforward ones, will save you time. In fact, she herself managed to save her business and actually increased her income by threefold once she implemented this step.
When you give out tasks, you are basically giving yourself some much-deserved slack. Richard also advised Elon to make time for himself.
Working overtime may finish work in time for the deadline but the quality may suffer. Spending time with yourself is helpful because you’ll be surprised to know the innovations you’ll think of in your solitude.
Employees
The art of delegation will not just benefit you, but your employees as well. Assigning things to do to others will let them grow and learn because you are sharpening their abilities and skills as you let them do tasks.
Stanford University professor Jeffrey Pfeffer said that as a leader, your main goal is to teach them to ask the right questions so that they will thrive if you're not available.
In the long run, the delegation will increase productivity. In a way, you’re letting your employees move the career ladder because more skills open up new opportunities.
Plus, assigning tasks to them speaks volumes about how much you trust your employees. As no one is perfect, they will eventually make mistakes, which will help them learn more if you correct them properly.
Creativity
If you keep on doing the same thing, chances are, you just do things hastily. It’s easy to be complacent with what you know but in order to keep the creativity from flowing in the workplace, have the task done by fresh eyes to give you another perspective.
According to the Brighton School of Business and Management, giving other people a chance could cultivate an environment of innovation and could stimulate new approaches.