As our mosdos grow and mature, we often reach a point where we feel like we've hit a wall. Growth slows, we experience stagnation, and things begin to feel stale.
Sometimes, the problem isn't the mosad. The leader has become the bottleneck.
It's time to break out, and as we begin a new year, I'd like to share some practical advice for breaking through that bottleneck.
The first and most important change we can make is to stop trying to do everything ourselves. The Rebbe empowered us; in turn, we need to empower others. You are only one person with 24 hours in a day. At some point, growth requires bringing on an additional staff member or multiple staff members and truly delegating responsibility to them.
In the E-myth approach, there are three essential roles: the technician, the manager, and the entrepreneur/director. The technician does the work, the manager manages the technician, and the director provides vision and oversees the managers.
Oftentimes, the Shliach doesn't empower others effectively. Instead of passing on the responsibility, the "response ability," we bring on "help." There is a big difference between hiring someone to help you and empowering someone to own a responsibility. Our goal is to find good people (and yes, you need to pay real salaries to attract and retain good people) and empower them to truly own a role.
Having an org chart that includes not only your current structure but also the structure you envision for the future is a great first step. It allows you to think about your mosad from a more objective vantage point. In next month's issue, I will share a framework for creating an effective org chart. For now, begin to think about what your Shlichus would look like if you were no longer doing all the things that distract you from your highest purpose and unique role in your Shlichus.
But don't try to change everything overnight.
Make incremental change. Small changes win the day. If you want to change the reality on the ground, you need to take small actions. Big actions and dramatic resolutions often fizzle out.
Pick up your spirits and believe that things really can change. Change requires believing that simply because you have operated a certain way for a long time doesn't mean you are stuck operating that way forever. "If you got yourself into one situation, you can get yourself into a different situation."
One sheep in the morning. Consistency matters. Find the small changes that you can make regularly, day after day, and watch what happens over time.
And most importantly: Action!
Take action. Don't just put it on paper. Make the move.
Here is one very practical action item you can take right now to begin identifying and removing the bottleneck:
Track your time.
In order to know where you need help, you first need to know exactly how you're spending your time.
With AI tools today, this is much easier than it has ever been.
Get a device like Plaud or Boya Notra (there are many others as well) and keep it next to you throughout the day.
As the day progresses, record the things you're doing: "Made a phone call to David Jacobs. Responded to emails. Had a fundraising meeting. Printed my Shabbos reading materials. Planned the Sukkos party," etc.
Don't change your behavior yet. Just capture it.
Do this for two weeks. Then give the record to an AI tool along with your current or ideal org chart and ask it to categorize and allocate your activities according to the different positions on the org chart.
The results can be eye opening.
You'll gain tremendous clarity about where your time is actually going. Which roles are you spending the most time performing? Which ones do you enjoy? Which tasks truly require you? Which could be delegated? And perhaps most importantly: What important things aren't you doing because you're spending your time doing everything else?
Based on that information, you'll have far greater clarity about what your next hire, delegation, or systems change should be.
So remember: make incremental changes, believe that things can be different, stay consistent, and most importantly, take action.
Your Shlichus doesn't need more of you doing everything. It needs more of you doing the things that only you can do.
Best wishes for tremendous Hatzlacha!