I’ve been swamped lately, doing things for others, not what I need to do.
A colleague is the same and is going to close her office door; it won’t work, she’ll still be swamped.
Getting free from helping others is about building capability not making yourself inaccessible. Locking yourself away will only build resentment.
If you want to have some freedom back, then the way is to build capability in your team, so they can do for themselves rather than you do for them. If you want to get out of your swamp go DEEP.
Develop your team to find their own solutions. Give them the skills they need to overcome obstacles so they can complete tasks successfully.
Empower them to take responsibility for their tasks and give them ownership and freedom to use their initiative.
Encourage them to use these skills and exercise ownership. For it to become the norm you will need to initially reinforce your support for the change and freedom you are giving them.
Push Back when you know everything is in place and you’re still being asked to help. There are always some team members who will look for what they see as an easier option, and in these cases push back by firmly saying they have everything to be able to deal with the issue themselves.
Want to get out of your swamp?
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