When you lead from the front you often have to be the jack of all trades.  You got there because you were the best you could be at all the other jobs that make up what you do.  Your coworkers come to you for guidance.  Managers look to you for your opinion.  You end up going to meetings one and two levels above your pay grade.  Most of the time tackling tasks yourself seems faster than explaining it to someone and setting them on their way (which would require you to monitor their progress as well).

All this adds up to you not getting the real work done.  You spend your days filtering questions, going to meetings, and tackling issues you shouldn’t be worried about; all the while your to-do list grows and nothing is being crossed off.

This is when it’s time to let go.  Time to shed.  Shedding will likely involve delegating something you really wanted to work on but you have to be honest with yourself: It’s just not possible to do it all.  It may also involve casting something off as unimportant.  Both are tough calls to make but in the end it will be necessary.

Forget about those things that are truly marginal.  Do the stuff that only you can do and can do best.  Let someone else do something that you don’t have time to be doing.  They might be good at it too.

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