Hate It? Gotta Do It? Not Good At It? Whatcha Gonna Do?

The Equalizer doesn't seem to be answering the phone so it looks like its up to you. What? Oh any of those nasty chores we all hate to do. For me its keeping lists, keeping records.

Of course I can DO them. I was an event planner - it's nothing BUT details - but it's not my strong suit.

How about you?

I'm sure you have things on your "to-do" list you don't like to do and aren't good at. Here are some ways to manage around a weakness.

1. Get a little better at it. Some things you've just got to be able to do-simple math to balance your checkbook; being able to make a decent presentation at a committee meeting … learn it just well enough to be able to stay in the game; like Tiger Woods and his bunker shot. Then get back to what you do well.

2. Find the support system you need. When I was a fund-raiser it was hard to start working donors (cold calls) first thing in the morning, so I used my secretary -- talking to her let me warm up my voice and ramp up my personality.

3. Make yourself promises. Make yourself report cards, or use your coach for accountability. If your filing is really out of control and causing you problems set aside one day a month to do the filing and stick to it. Or use a coach for accountability; misery loves company.

4. Memorize self-talk. Mary's job description is so vast and vague, she could get lost in it, and also hide away in the parts she likes best. When she gets overwhelmed, she self-talks: "Q: What was I hired to do? A: To raise $1,000,000 this year. Q: What will best further that goal? A: This task." Focus!

5. Find a crutch that works. Free up worry time and start applying it to honing your strengths. Buy a palm pilot; hire a temp one day a week; barter with your suite-mate; get a nanny.

6. Use one of your strengths to overcome a weakness. Sam isn't naturally good with people; he's too introverted. His top theme is Intellection, so he studied how others do it, and makes a very good approximation for someone who'd rather be dealing with ideas.

7. Find a partner. Oliver was the rainmaker in the law firm. Holding the tax collection contracts for various cities, his day was filled with schmoozing. He partnered with a brilliant intellectual who was detail-oriented and just handed him a perfect trial notebook when it was time to go to court.

8. Delegate your weakness. A property management owner didn't like to deal with employees and their "problems" so she hired a VP to do this so she could go out and get new clients which was what she was good at.

9. Just stop doing it. The first thing I ask a client who's agonizing over being "organized," is "Who cares?" Often when they start to answer this question, they discover they're the only one who cares. This comes up often with "filing" and "messy desks." When you're self-confident and UNAPOLOGETIC, you'll find most people will adopt your response. Which brings up the next topic …

10. Stop comparing yourself. If you're doing your job well, the means to the end don't matter that much. I paid a call once on a partner at Fulbright & Jaworski-no place for disorganized amateurs. His office looked like a bomb had gone off in it. There were piles of paper 5' high all around his office. He got a phone call, got up, walked over to the 3rd pile on the left, reached into the middle of it and pulled out a piece of paper. If you have a system that works for you, let it be. n
11.And … keep your sense of humor about it all! Keep it all in perspective.

"Whoever fights monsters should see to it that in the process he doesn't become a monster." -- Nietzsche

Whoever fights monsters should see to it that in the process he doesn't become a monster.