As an entrepreneur, you have undoubtedly worn many hats over the years— some with pleasure, and others… not so much. And while you do what you need to do for your business, you might’ve lost touch with what we at Exec Wranglers call the “Zone of Harmony.”
So, what is that exactly? Just the term itself calms your nervous system, right?
The Zone of Harmony contains all the tasks you’re passionate about— the ones that excite you, that utilize your unique abilities, and if we’re being totally honest with each other, that you’d do for free. To be clear, we’re not talking about activities like petting your dog or watching your favorite TV show. We mean ones that’ll help your business grow, such as coaching, collaborating with peers, solving others’ pain points, etc.
The good news is: once you nail down your personal “Zone of Harmony,” you can begin to categorize your other to-dos as Proficiencies, Competencies, or Incompetencies. The more you can identify and then delegate, the more you can stay in that juicy, ooey-goey Zone of Harmony. So let’s get started!
Proficiencies are items you’re great at, but they don’t light you up. In fact, there’s a good chance you can do these without thinking about them, but you believe it’s too time-consuming to train someone else to take them over. Some examples are client onboarding, calendar management, appointment scheduling, inbox management, invoicing & payroll, etc. These are tasks you should delegate!
Competencies are items you’re okay at doing, but don’t enjoy— and even worse, they take away from growing your business. You will likely find yourself procrastinating on these. Some examples are document creation or editing, bookkeeping, social media content & management, CRM management, data entry, etc. These are tasks you should delegate!
Incompetencies are all the items you’re not great at and that generally require specialized services. They are critical to running your business and require proper setup and maintenance. Some examples are: building a website, email marketing, event planning, accounting, CRM setup, etc. These are tasks you should delegate!
Now that you know which is which, you can begin to categorize everything that’s on your plate. Start by taking a blank piece of paper and dividing it into four sections with the above categories, “Zone of Harmony,” “Proficiencies,” “Competencies,” and “Incompetencies.” Leave space to create lists underneath each header.
If any of your current tasks are falling outside of your “Zone of Harmony”… ya might need a Wrangler! Parceling out those action items on your plate to Wranglers who are in their Zones of Harmony can help you feel less stressed, more empowered, and free to finally focus on the work that’s actually rewarding to you! So… what are you waiting for?