Shannon Waller's Team Success

The Excellent Trap: The Danger Of Not Letting Go

Mar 21, 2024

Shannon Waller, a knowledgeable speaker on personal and team development, dives into the 'Excellent Trap'—where doing things well can stifle passion. She discusses how to identify tasks you're good at but no longer enjoy and emphasizes the importance of letting go. Shannon offers advice on recognizing signs of boredom and suggests that passing off these tasks can spark new creativity and provide opportunities for others. Embracing delegation not only frees up your time but also fosters growth for both you and your team.

12:59

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Shannon Waller

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Quick takeaways

Recognizing when you've outgrown an activity is essential, as it enables you to make strategic decisions about delegation and personal growth.

Passing off excellent tasks to more passionate team members fosters innovation, enhances team dynamics, and allows for greater personal focus on unique abilities.

Deep dives

Understanding Excellent Activities

Excellent activities are those in which one possesses superior skills and teamwork but lacks passion. These activities can become unfulfilling over time, as individuals may find themselves getting bored despite being good at what they do. Recognizing this shift is crucial, as it allows individuals to confront the reality that their once-enjoyable tasks now feel monotonous. By acknowledging this change, individuals can make strategic decisions on whether to maintain these tasks or pass them on to others who may bring renewed energy and creativity.

Embrace Evolution and Abundance

01:21

Letting Go to Grow

01:23

Escaping the Excellent Trap: Embracing Delegation and Growth

10min

Embracing Release: The Power of Letting Go of Excellence

3min

In this episode, Shannon Waller talks about the dangers of the “Excellent Trap.” Are there activities you have superior skills but no passion for? Are you bored with them but resisting having someone else take them on? Let Shannon convince you why you should let go of these “Excellent,” but not “Unique Ability,” activities. Shannon has useful advice on how to identify the activities, when it’s time to let them go, and who to hand them off to.

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Show Notes

Signs To Look Out For:

Loss of passion: If you find yourself going through the motions without the same level of excitement or interest as before, it could be a sign that you’ve outgrown the activity.
Boredom and lack of challenge: Activities that were once stimulating may become routine and unchallenging over time, leading to lack of interest.
Others who show skill and energy: Pay attention to people around you who show a keen interest in the tasks you excel at but no longer feel passionate about. These individuals may bring fresh ideas and creativity to the table.

Benefits Of Passing Off Tasks:

New perspectives: Allowing someone else to take over tasks can bring in new perspectives and innovative approaches that you may not have considered.
Freeing up time: By delegating tasks that no longer fire you up, you free up time to focus on activities that engage your creativity and align with and help you grow your Unique Ability^®.
Team growth: Passing off tasks can also contribute to the growth and development of your team members, providing them with opportunities to showcase their skills and creativity.

Steps To Take:

Self-reflection: Identify Excellent activities where you have superior skill but lack passion. For comparison, also make a list of your Unique Ability activities, those you find endlessly fascinating and motivating. Pick one or two Excellent activities to let go of.
Identifying potential candidates: Keep an eye out for individuals within your team or network who exhibit enthusiasm and creativity in the areas you are considering passing off.
Initiating conversations: Approach potential candidates and discuss the possibility of them taking over the tasks. Observe their reactions and eagerness to explore these responsibilities.
Transition planning: Once you find a suitable candidate, plan a smooth transition of responsibilities, ensuring that the handover is seamless and well-communicated.

Conclusion:

Recognizing when to pass off activities where you excel but lack passion is a crucial step toward personal growth and team development. By entrusting tasks to individuals with a fresh perspective and enthusiasm, you not only free yourself from mundane (to you!) responsibilities but also foster a culture of collaboration and growth within your team. Embracing this mindset of delegation and empowerment can lead to enhanced creativity, efficiency, and overall success in both personal and professional endeavors.

Resources:

Unique Ability^® 2.0: Discovery by Catherine Nomura, Julia Waller, and Shannon Waller

The Road Less Stupid by Keith Cunningham EOS^®: Entrepreneurial Operating System^®

Unique Ability^® Teamwork

Questions for Shannon: questions@strategiccoach.com