There was an article in the June 2013 Inc. Magazine that reminded me of an issue we leaders face daily. The author is Jason Fried, CEO of Basecamp1, a web-based software company formerly known as 37signals. The issue is delegation.
Jason confesses that “our continued growth depends on me becoming a different kind of leader—one who is able to see when other people can do a better job than I can.” With all the demands on his attention, he could no longer give the necessary focus to shepherding a product. He handed off management of the company’s flagship product to a capable colleague.
Andy Stanley2 advises leaders to “do only what only you can do.” (I believe the origin of this phrase is attributed to Dutch Professor Edsger Wybe Dijkstra, 1930–2002.) We should be aware of our strengths, focus our time and effort on those areas where we can contribute the greatest value, and delegate the rest. This is never easy. It requires honest self-assessment, knowledge of the strengths and potential of our people, crystal clarity about the expected outcomes, and timely accountability mechanisms.
Jason observes the win-win involved. By giving another the chance to develop his talents, he also receives a chance to grow and the time to devote his attention to new ideas. Let us each remember this the next time we are overwhelmed by the details of day-to-day operations.
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1 See Basecamp’s popular collaboration app at http://basecamp.com. Also check out Jason’s books 
at http://www.amazon.com/Jason-Fried/e/B002MQ13PQ/ref=dp_byline_cont_book_1.
2 Andy Stanley is Senior Pastor of North Point Ministries in suburban Atlanta.
resources for strategic thinking—David Goldsmith’s Paid to Think: A Leader’s Toolkit for Redefining Your Future. Goldsmith offers twelve thinking tools, to help leaders solve challenges and create opportunities. They are organized into four
by Paul J.H. Schoemaker, Steve Krupp, and Samantha Howland. The authors describe six skills that enable leaders to think strategically and navigate uncertainty effectively. Adaptive leaders combine the abilities to anticipate, challenge, interpret, decide, align, and learn. The authors provide a self-assessment to help you identify which skills need attention. They go on to offer advice for improving each ability. Check out the article here.