Sarah is a dedicated family lawyer with a growing practice. Sarah’s journey to becoming a lawyer was far from easy. Raised in a working-class family, she worked tirelessly to put herself through law school, overcoming financial obstacles and societal barriers every step of the way. Despite everything she’s been through, her determination and passion for justice helped her to move forward.

When she opened her own practice, she was determined to make a difference in the lives of her clients. However, as her caseload grew and demands on her time increased, Sarah found herself facing a new set of challenges.

Despite achieving success, she found it challenging to delegate. After tirelessly building her practice from scratch, she hesitated to entrust important responsibilities to anyone else. She held the belief that she could accomplish tasks more effectively on her own, and that completing more tasks equated to higher productivity. Besides, she thinks that hiring assistance might lead to costly mistakes. These factors combined resulted in her reluctance to take a risk.

As the days turned into nights and her workload continued to mount, Sarah realized that she couldn’t do it all on her own. Her practice was thriving, but at what cost? She was sacrificing precious time with her family, getting sick and neglecting her own well-being, and feeling increasingly overwhelmed by the relentless demands of her profession.

The passion she once held dearly transformed into something she began to resent.

Sounds familiar?

Sarah’s story is quite common actually. Different back stories, but the same dilemma – the struggle to buy back time and delegate.

Lawyers as managers

Lawyers are managers. A lawyer must concurrently manage many different aspects of a law practice–and a business. 

However, many lawyers may not fully consider or appreciate the demands of the managerial-practicing lawyer roles, and are utterly unprepared for the duties and demands that await them, including delegation.

The art of delegation is one of the most challenging and complex tasks a manager can perform. According to a statistic from the late London Business School professor, John Hunt, Only 30% of managers delegate effectively. Delegation is a crucial management technique that many fail to perform properly–even lawyers.

Why is it so difficult to delegate?

Dan Martell, an award-winning Canadian entrepreneur, investor, best-selling author, and SaaS coach, identifies several reasons why people might be hesitant to delegate, which can resonate with lawyers or anyone in a professional setting:

1. The “GSD Mentality”

“More work = More productive”

GSD or the Get Sh*t Done Mentality is the prevailing belief in today’s hustle culture that  the more tasks you check off your list, the more productive you are. It’s a relentless pursuit of getting sh*t done at any cost. However, according to 2023 research from the business-to-business marketplace, Expert Market, working long hours does not necessarily equate to increased productivity. In fact, the top countries to be more productive have people who work fewer hours annually. It was also stated in that study that this is because working excessive hours can lead to devastating workplace stress and burnout.

The GSD mindset often overlooks a critical aspect: the detrimental impact of overloading oneself with work. In reality, constantly striving to tackle every task solo can impede long-term growth. When work consumes all your time and energy, there’s little room left for strategic thinking, creativity, or personal development.

2. The “Do-it-yourself” Mindset

“I can get it done right and faster if I do it myself”

Many managers have difficulties in letting go – the fear of losing control. It is common for managers to feel more confident in doing the detailed work because they think they can get things faster if they do it themselves. They may worry that others won’t perform tasks to their standards or that mistakes will occur. Ironically, this lack of trust and empowerment wastes time and stifles productivity and growth. In terms of the business of law, micromanaging every aspect of legal work can limit the firm’s scalability. 

Dan Martell categorizes this as “The Supervisor” persona as he discusses the 5 time assassins. Time assassins are habits that are going to absolutely continue to eat away your ability to do more and delegate effectively.

3. Perception About “Hiring” 

“To much time, too much energy, too costly”

Some managers hesitate to delegate because they believe they don’t have the time to properly train others. They may feel that it’s faster to do tasks themselves rather than investing time in teaching someone else.

Moreover, the perception of hiring being “too costly” stems from concerns about overhead costs from hiring and training plus the turnover costs when they leave.

However, according to Dan Martell, this is a matter of mindset. Most people see hiring as a cost rather than an investment. But Dan Martell emphasized in his Buyback Principle that the emphasis isn’t on “hiring to add capacity” but rather “hiring with a purpose of reinvestment.”

The Buyback Principle is simple. “Don’t hire to grow your firm, hire to buy back your time.”

There are 3 takeaways from this blog:

Delegation isn’t merely about offloading tasks. It’s about reclaiming valuable time that could be invested in more significant endeavors.

Delegation isn’t a sign of weakness. It’s a strategic move that recognizes the finite nature of time and energy. 

True productivity isn’t measured by the sheer volume of tasks completed, but by the meaningful impact and sustainable growth achieved over time. 

In conclusion, the struggle to delegate is a common challenge faced by many professionals, including lawyers like Sarah, and many of us can relate to her experience. Despite the demands of their roles as both practitioners and managers, lawyers often find it difficult to relinquish control over tasks and responsibilities. This reluctance can stem from various factors, including the pervasive “GSD Mentality,” the fear of losing control or compromising quality, and concerns about the time and cost associated with hiring and training.

But as emphasized by Dan Martell’s Buyback Principle, delegation should be viewed not as a cost but as an investment in reclaiming valuable time and enabling long-term growth and sustainability. By recognizing the importance of effective delegation and adopting a mindset that prioritizes strategic thinking and empowerment, lawyers can overcome the barriers to delegation and achieve both personal and professional success.

Reference:
https://www.businessnewsdaily.com/9302-hours-worked-productivity.html

Martell, D. (2023). Buy Back Your Time: Get Unstuck, Reclaim Your Freedom, and Build Your Empire. Penguin Publishing Group.