The Art of Delegation

I am working on editing the book The Fortune is in the Follow-Up by the illustrious and enduring Heidi BK Sloss. In her book, she brings up a discussion on delegation. She also mentions something about mourning the loss of a task you enjoyed doing but because of time constraints had to delegate. I had some thoughts about this comment. Here is what I found. I love doing a lot of things, but when something I love doing is keeping me from making money, I always try to give it up. While I might miss doing it, I am often quite relieved it's no longer on my plate. Or if I share the responsibility of doing something with a back-up person, I feel less pressure, too. For example, when I try to edit AND proof read a book, it's always a mistake. A second pair of eyes on a book I've stared at for often months can be comforting. Yes, it costs me money, but at least I know the material I grew "blind" to is going to jump out at a less-stressed and fresh pair of eyes. I found it expensive to delegate it, but in the end, much less stressful. How much is money worth to my stress? Not to mention the confidence I gain in knowing the book will be as close to perfect as possible. I do enjoy proofing. Was it hard to delegate? Yes. Was it the right choice for both my business and the client's best interests ... yes.

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