(If you don’t know, then take a quick glance at our January newsletter.) The change I’m trying to accomplish in 2023 is to delegate some of my tasks——which includes training others to be able to handle these tasks——all in hopes of a better work-life balance; a healthier Camelot Moving & Storage; and a stronger, more effective workforce at the company. I was hoping to be at Step 3 by this point. How’d I do? And since I invited my readers to join me, how did you do? Let’s see.

Step 1: Select exactly what task on my plate I was going to delegate.

I zeroed in on the task of providing estimates of moving costs to clients. Perhaps more art than science, meeting with a client to provide an estimate is really more akin to taking a client through an orientation of their upcoming move. It involves asking the right questions, providing the needed information as succinctly as possible so as not to overwhelm or under-inform the client. This was harder to begin letting go of than I imagined, because many of our estimates are binding, so there is a great potential for loss if the estimator is inaccurate. No doubt, this has prevented me from training someone else in the past.

Step 2: Choose a candidate.

This step was a breeze because one of our employees has a stellar history of excellent communication with our clients and has a very good eye for sizing up the volume and time needed to complete a move. He was the clear choice!

Step 3: Begin to train the candidate and assess his potential.

Time for some brutal honesty: I struggled to make progress on this goal in the past because training consumes time now but promises to save time later. It is delayed gratification, similar to saving/investing money now for a greater return later. (A common goal that many likewise struggle to accomplish!) Have you found yourself in a similar situation?

What helped me over this hurdle? I would be lying if I said that making it to Step 3 wasn’t a team effort. This team was tired of my kvetching about needing to delegate this task. As a result, I found “Meet with Mr. Candidate for Training” in my calendar! The moral of the story is to communicate to people around you that care enough to help you reach your goals, and then accept their help.

As a result, we have begun Step 3! My trainee has job shadowed me through a few moving estimates. We literally sit side-by-side as we meet with the client and take in the information needed to draft an estimate. Then we separately write up our own estimates and compare what we come up with. It’s kind of like comparing answers after taking a test. He’s doing well!

Well, I’ve met my short-term goal for April. My employee and I will continue our side-by-side estimate comparisons, while I begin to contemplate Step 4: how to address a setback. What if this employee doesn’t continue to do well? What if he quits or refuses the position? These are important questions to answer if I’m going to be successful in accomplishing my long-term goal for change in 2023. 

Thank you for holding me accountable, readers! I don’t think I would have made this much progress if I didn’t know that I had to answer to you in this month’s newsletter!

Were you inspired to join me in this challenge? What desired change are you making this year? Please share with me by replying to this email, and we’ll share (anonymously) in an upcoming newsletter some inspiring goals for change with our community of readers.