March 2, 2014
"I make a lot of money but I spend most of it on people who help me to do things so I can keep making money."
"For example, I have an assistant, a driver, a nanny, an editor, and a research maven. None are full-time but all make my life much better. I think I make their lives better, too, because I’m good at delegating," says Penelope Trunk, introducing her 3 rules of delegating.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Posts
18 comments:
Penelope Trunk, James Wolcott, Maureen Dowd. Althouse, you're a masochist.
4. Have lots and lots of money.
Penelope Trunk is the epitome of the successful feminist woman.
Busy as hell. Date book full. Rushing from appointment to appointment. Dressing in fashionable clothing.
And all for no discernible good reason.
Nothing of any value produced. In fact, nothing that can actually be identified produced. Except for gossip and office politics.
Thomas - Why feminist? Why woman? The "Masters of the Universe" of the 1980's were all men. Remember the scene in Bonfire of the Vanities where Sherman McCoy tries to explain to his kid what he does for a living? There are lots of very rich people busy doing...stuff...to no apparent effect.
I wouldn't group Trunk with the other two. Trunk is smart and practical and thinks differently and often outside-the-box which is a huge contrast from the garden-variety lib.
What Shout said.....AND she home schools her children.
All other women must wallow in guilt and shame. You are not "having it all".
I refuse to read that nonsense carefully, and I fail to understand why Amanda Knox is highlighted.
Whoever she is, she sounds scatterbrained.
"We have to go spend money to keep from going bankrupt!!"
-Joe Biden
Men get help. Why can't women?
I don't see a problem - if she pays well, and makes money doing it, more power to her. I don't know what she does either but, if it's not corrupting, where's the issue?
I don't get it,...
So, I'm all, like, HUH?
All part-time because Obamacare.
She is right.
Always delegate a task to someone better able to do it efficiently.
Also, delegate tasks to help employees grow with your coaching. They will be grateful forever.
Always delegate a task to someone better able to do it efficiently.
No. Comparative advantage, not competitive advantage, rules.
The head of the economics department sends the secretary to deliver papers to the dean even though the head walks faster than the secretary.
I respect Trunk. She is quite up front and self aware about her quirks and limitations. She has Asperger's syndrome, and I find the way she writes about her life to be very interesting. I don't have Asperger's syndrome, but I do recognize some of my quirks among hers. I've also worked with some very high achieving people with Asperger's, and Trunk's insights have helped me work better with these colleagues, to the point of delight, actually.
That said, her approach to life and to others is extraordinarily different from mine. I like to have people like her in my world, even if virtually, as they help me to understand some of my own blind spots.
Anyway, she said one practical thing in the linked post that I think is very insightful: "Instead of delegating small, low-impact tasks, delegate with the goal of accomplishing your larger agenda." Many people have great difficulty delegating, and, in a corporate environment, will handle it clumsily and mechanically. I've seen scenarios like this: "I've been told that I need to delegate to be an effective manager, so I will tell Dr. SoAndSo to go to the stock room and get photocopier paper." The delegator completely missed the point of delegation, and they would benefit from the kind of strategic perspective found in Trunk's offhand remark.
I feel symapthy for Trunk after reading her blog posts about her marriage to a farmer. She's aware that she has emotional issues and writes about them well, but still can't help herself from acting out in ways that hurt her relationship. I think the traits that made her a success- driven self-confident, a need to be in control at all times; have also made her miserable at times in her personal life. At least to the extent that she tries to treat her marriage like a problem that must be solved or her husband like a difficult client.
Post a Comment