Lessons in Dropping the Ball – Part 1

Lesson 1: Courage
Dropping the ball requires courage. It requires the courage to say “no.”

Human beings instinctively want to say “yes.” We want to help other people. However, by saying “yes” to small things, we are actually saying “no” to things that are more important, more significant, and that will help more people in more meaningful ways.

Learn to say “no” with grace. “I really appreciate your asking me to be a part of this. I really wish I could participate, but my existing commitments mean that I will not be able to take part this time. Thank you so much for asking.”

Lesson 2: Reality check
Most people are afraid of dropping the ball because they feel that if they do not attend to these things that there will be negative consequences. The fact of the matter is that most of the time there will be no noticeable consequences whatsoever.

Do a reality check. If this is left undone, what will really happen? Is there really any significant downside for just dropping it and ignoring it altogether?

Try dropping a few of these balls and see what the result is after 90 days.

Lesson 3: Hand Off the Ball to Someone Else
Virtually all successful people have developed support teams that pick up the details for them so they can focus on truly important things. The president of the United States has a chief of staff. CEOs have secretaries or assistants. So should you.

Learn to delegate all tasks that are not key and core to your mission to other people who make it their mission in life to do those things.

I never fill out my own income tax return because it is not the highest and best use of my time. I hire an accountant to do it—someone who loves that kind of work and has made it their mission in life. I get a better-quality tax return and more time for my unique contribution.

If you can’t do it with joy, find someone who can!

Insist on completed staff work. Make sure that when other people and departments pass work off to you that they know and understand what form it needs to be in for you to handle it most effectively and in the least amount of time.

When the executive committee of our companies sends requests to the board of directors, they are formulated as resolutions that describe the action the executive committee recommends for the company. All we have to do is check “yes” or “no.”

Get two more valuable lessons in Part 2 of this article…

Mark Victor Hansen, best known as the co-creator of the ‘Chicken Soup for the Soul’ empire (which is listed in the Guinness Book of World Records as the best-selling non-fiction book series ever), is a walking success magnet! Between his books and speeches, Mark has helped countless millions of people become their very best. Visit Mark’s 101 E-Book Library at http://www.IdeasThatCanChangeYourLife.com.