Not My Circus. Not My Monkeys. How to Prioritize as a Leader

Am I the right person…

- for the job?

- to answer this question?

- to solve the problem?

…or is this one of those not my circus, not my monkeys, kind of thing?

     I know you're not supposed to answer a question with another question, but as my role has changed from “only a real estate agent” (Agents, don't come at me. You know what I mean) to co-team leader, to CMO, to COO, to CEO/Team Leader/Associate Broker, etc. it has become increasingly more important for me to filter the issues on which I choose to spend my time. When an issue gets to me, my first thought is “Am I uniquely qualified to complete this task?” 

     If the answer is yes than we're golden. It becomes a priority and a focus and that task or question is treated accordingly. What I've noticed however, as I move up in the ranks and now run my own business and have a handful of people who work with me and that I'm responsible for, is that I can easily become the backstop for their problems as well. I mean, it's kind of what I signed up for when I decided to grow and expand into three different states (or districts) The everyday problems, questions, or requirements that my clients have don't disappear, but we as business owners are now also responsible to make sure everyone who works with us, their clients, and their problems are being solved as well. 

     Now, listen. This isn't complaining, it's triage, and when I was in the fire department we did it all the time. Whenever we had multiple patients at an accident scene or had reports of multiple people trapped in a building, we had to make quick decisions on priorities from highest to lowest. It's the same thing here albeit with exponentially fewer serious consequences.

     So again, "Am I uniquely qualified to complete this task?' Am I, in my role as a Team Leader, the best person to answer this question? If not, it's now my job to know who is. Am I, as a business owner, the best person to be running that errand? If not, it's now my job to delegate and use that time to generate new business. Am I, as the Real Estate Broker, the best person to be sending that email?  If not, it's my job to have the systems and training in place so that my assistant can confidently handle that response for me.

     It doesn't matter how large or trivial the task or question may seem. If I'm not the one person best suited for the job then it cannot, in that moment, be a focus…and that's OK. The main thing to remember for anyone in a leadership position is that they may not all be my monkeys, but it's my job as the ring leader, to run this circus.