One Saturday morning, I found myself in front of the computer, punching numbers. While I was sitting there, staring at my screen, willing this task to end, I had a sudden realization: I was doing someone else’s job! I had several other people who I employed to do such tasks. I’m not above doing such work. It’s simply not work that I have to do. Hear me out here.
When you go into the doctor’s office for a visit, is the doctor the person who greets you at the desk? No. Is he the person who comes to the waiting room to escort you back, or the person who takes your basic vitals? No. You don’t even meet with the doctor at the doctor’s office until you’ve interacted with several other people. The doctor could do all these things. He would have a lot fewer patients come through his office if he did that. The doctor pays other people to do these other, less specialized tasks so that he can do what he went through years of medical school to be able to do.
Similarly, if you find yourself doing someone else’s job, I hope it becomes a wake-up call for you as it was for me. If your dollars made per hour starts dipping down into the double-digits, you may be doing someone else’s job – and you should stop! This is the law of delegation in action. When you allow other people to take some of the load, your ability to accomplish projects – and your hourly wage – increases. Stop making yourself a salaried employee, and start earning more for your time by letting other people do their jobs; share the load!
For more information on this subject, please listen to The Appraiser Coach Podcast Episode:
