What do you REALLY need more time for?

As a business owner, how often do you find yourself saying something along these lines:

"If only I could figure out how to delegate better. I’d get so much time back!”

"There's so much automation out there. I bet it would save me a ton of time!” The truth is, we’re all looking for more time. The real question is: What kind of time are we looking for, exactly?? If you're like us, you want more time for the high-value work that helps you grow your business and move it forward. The time for reflection. Deep strategy work. The ability to implement that strategy instead of just going through the tactical motions of the day-to-day.

So, that's what our newsletter is about this month: our best delegation and automation tips and strategies so you can shift from reactive to proactive—plus a little bit about how to coach your team to think more strategically once you get that time.

Automation for beginners: 4 tools to simplify your business

Even if you don’t currently have automation built into your business, you most likely see evidence of these simplifications every day:

• The reminder from your favorite retailer via email that you “still have items in your shopping cart”
• A birthday coupon from your favorite restaurant
• A series of “welcome” emails when you sign up for a new e-newsletter

That's what automation is—a simplification. Automation “automatically” accomplishes tasks that you—or someone on your team—would otherwise have to do manually.?

It's a simplification that’s often easier said than done, though. Some of us are so used to doing all the things that automation can be a little overwhelming. For that reason, we’ve rounded up our four favorite tools (and how we use them at CBI) that are easy to use and save you hours a month at our latest blog.?

Conversation Starters

Shift how you think about delegation

When we talk with clients about business challenges, one is always at the top of the list: the inability to delegate. It's a struggle for many reasons. We know the work needs to get done, and we both 1) know how to do it and 2) struggle to articulate what the result should look like—so it’s just easier to do ourselves. And, there’s the whole idea of control: if we don’t do the thing, we have no idea whether it’s being done right.?

Delegation is a?process—it’s very rarely an “I told you how to do this, so now it’s yours” kind of action. But if we can get past the discomfort, there’s empowerment for your team and additional time for you on the other side.?Here are a few strategies to consider if you're been struggling with delegation.

Help your team think more strategically

One of the biggest reasons business ownership can be such a lonely place is that sometimes it feels like you’re the only person thinking about the “big picture.” And while there’s a bit of truth in that — you’re likely thinking about it more than anyone else — there are ways to ensure you’re not doing all of that heavy lifting alone.

To help your team develop stronger strategic thinking skills, you’ll want to consider introducing them to a set of mental models—ways of thinking that can provide new perspectives. Here are a few of our favorites:

• “Second-order” thinking: This model considers the long-term impacts of decisions to help teams avoid unintended consequences. Ask your team to go beyond the immediate outcomes of a decision by asking, “How will the decision we’re making ripple over time? How will it impact our customers or clients in the long term?”
• Inversion thinking: Instead of being forward-thinking about a decision, inversion thinking is all about thinking backward. Start with the desired outcome and ask your team, ”What needs to be avoided for us to get to this place? What could go wrong, and when?”?
• Probabilistic thinking: When we know the likelihood of different outcomes, our decision-making can be more effective. With your team, determine what outcomes could occur as a result of the decisions you’re making, and what the likelihood is of each of those outcomes. Which outcomes are the ones you need to plan for the most?

Sum Stuff for Your Radar

Superhuman

What it is:An AI-powered email platform that helps you fly through your email, respond promptly to what matters most, and get rid of the things that don’t.

Why we like it:We can’t talk about “getting time back” without confronting the proverbial elephant in the room: our overstuffed inboxes. Superhuman is a great tool for automating responses to emails you send over and over (and it learns your tone and voice, too!), following up on emails that you’d forget otherwise, and collaborating with your team for when you need to discuss an email before it's sent.

The Decision Book: 50 Models for Strategic Thinking

What it is:This oldie-but-a-goodie read distills into a single, compact volume the 50 best decision-making models used in MBA courses and high-performing organizations.

Why we like it:If you’re looking for a way to help your team think and act more strategically, this book is a powerful asset. In minutes, you’ll become familiar with models like SWOT Analysis, The Rubber Band Model, The Eisenhower Matrix, and more—complete with easy-to-understand visuals.

Adding it all up...

Someone's sitting in the shade today because someone planted a tree a long time ago.” ~ Warren Buffett We get it. It’s hard from day to day to think strategically. And the biggest barrier to strategic thinking is time. As we approach the end of the calendar year, Buffett’s quote is a good reminder that as you’re creating efficiencies in your business, make sure to re-invest that time into probing the big questions for your business.? To work with your team to strengthen their own strategic thinking muscles. Because while the sunshine is great, there’s always a need for shade.?