I recently coached a group of Entrepreneurs and Business Owners at one of my “Retreat in Crete” events. The group was a mix of men and women from various industries and countries. One evening, we headed to the beach, sat around a campfire, and began sharing our stories. Several people expressed their love for their business but there were also those who were completely exhausted by all the pressure of it. Some even said they had lost their passion because their business managed them rather than the other way around. They had too much to do on a daily basis and almost nonexistent personal lives.
“You should fire yourself,” I said. They looked at me with wide eyes and raised eyebrows, clearly wondering if I was serious. “Yes,” I continued, “you should fire yourself! Release yourself from the tasks you don’t like and the ones you’re not good at anyway. You are wasting your time trying to do everything yourself. Start delegating and focus on your areas of strength and expertise. Otherwise you will never be able to grow your business to the level you want.”My “Fire Yourself” statement sparked a lively discussion. A handful of good ideas popped up but also plenty of excuses. Some people found it hard to let go, either due to lack of trust in their staff or because they wanted to be in control of every little detail of their business. However, as the evening and discussion progressed, many realized they should fine-tune their role and work focus in order to build their company. Once they learned that others had similar issues, it was somehow easier to get going and make some changes.My point is that you do yourself and your business a disservice by not focusing on what you are good at. Go back to your business vision and establish how you can maximize your strengths. Then remember to delegate - ask for help or hire temporary staff for tasks they perform better than you. Don’t let your Ego or pride stop you from sharing the workload. And, by the way, fire the perfectionist in you and your urge to control everything. It can’t be done. You’ll only exhaust yourself trying.You can apply the “Fire Yourself” concept in your personal life as well. What “bad” habits or negative, destructive people could you fire yourself from? Perhaps you should fire your multitasking personality! Effective multitasking is a myth. Multitasking seldom creates the results you are looking for – results of high quality.Learn to say NO. Fire your “yes” when it’s against your values. When you say no to someone else who presents you with a proposition you’re not comfortable with, you say yes to yourself.Whether it’s your professional or personal life, where can or should you “fire yourself”? Once you explore this and make some changes, you will not only be more productive but you will also find more joy and fulfillment in life. Why? Because you’ll be doing what you are good at, which will create better results than you hoped for, and you’ll enjoy the process.So, go ahead, fire yourself! You will be amazed by how much more energy you will have. And with the right focus, success will follow.
