How We Resolved a Difficult Case No Stone Left Unturned
Poor delegation is the Achilles’ heel of most leaders, who often confuse being “involved” with being “essential.” To determine if you’re holding on to work you should delegate out, the Harvard Business Review (HBR) recommends asking this simple question: “If you had to take an unexpected week off work, would your initiatives and priorities advance in your absence?” If your answer is no or you aren’t sure, then you’re probably too involved. No one person should be the cog that keeps everything in motion, no matter their position in the company. Luckily, HBR has created an audit using the following six T’s to identify which tasks can be delegated. Tiny: Small tasks that stack up can undermine the flow of your work. Registering for a conference, putting it on the calendar, and booking the flight are all small tasks someone else can handle. Tedious: These tasks are straightforward but not the best use of your time. Someone else can input lists into spreadsheets or update key performance indicators for a presentation. Time-Consuming: These important, complex tasks don’t require you to do the first 80% of the work. Identify what they are, pass them to someone else, and step in for the final 20% to give approval. Teachable: Is there a task only you know how to do? If so, teach someone else to do it, and step in for the last quality check when it’s done. Terrible At: It’s okay to be bad at some things. Great leaders know when to pass tasks off to someone who is more skilled than they are. The task will get done faster and at a much higher quality. Time-Sensitive: These tasks need to get done right now but are competing with tasks of a higher priority. Just because it has to get done immediately doesn’t mean you have to be the one to do it. Sure, some tasks only you can accomplish, but these are extremely rare. As the Virgin Group founder Richard Branson warns, needlessly resisting delegation is the path to disaster. “You need to learn to delegate so that you can focus on the big picture,” Branson says. “It’s vital to the success of your business that you learn to hand off those things that you aren’t able to do well.” DELEGATE TO ELEVATE The Secret to Being a Great Leader
At Friedman & Simon Injury Lawyers, we pride ourselves on leaving no stone unturned. After all, considering every angle is the only way to find the best path for our clients to move forward with their lives. In fact, this approach has led to our attorneys finding favorable outcomes to what others may have labeled “impossible” situations as one of our recent cases illustrates. THE SITUATION We recently represented a man in his early 30s — a young professional in the process of moving to the Bronx to start the next chapter of his life. Then, while walking across the street in his new neighborhood, he was struck by a car and left with a broken hip. It was clear he wasn’t at fault, but there was one problem: The driver who hit him was only carrying the New York State minimum coverage of liability – just $25,000. THE PROBLEM Underinsured drivers present a serious concern, especially in accidents where they’ve caused traumatic injuries. Often in these instances, one can do little to receive adequate compensation for their pain — even an expert lawyer can’t make money appear out of thin air. This was the case for our client, whose injury far exceeded the $25,000.00 state minimum for personal injury coverage. That’s why we knew we had to delve deeper. THE SOLUTION Fortunately, we were able to make an Underinsured Motorist claim under an applicable policy. This coverage exists for precisely the kind of situation our client found himself in — it covers damages caused by underinsured drivers. Underinsured coverage can protect whole households, even where the insured vehicle is not involved, which proved to be a critical fact in this case. Because our client was still relocating, his legal residence was still his parents’ home. As a part of their household, he was protected by his parents’ Underinsured Motorist coverage. Thus, rather than being left high and dry with only $25,000 to compensate him for his broken hip, he was able to receive an additional $75,000.00 from the household coverage of his parents’ vehicle under the policy they paid for to cover family members in unfortunate situations just like this. It’s a good reminder to review your own Underinsured Motorist coverage and make sure you have enough to protect yourself and your loved ones.
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