Quote · The Mel Robbins Podcast
How to Get More Out of Life: Make More Money & Build Something That Matters with Seth Godin
Where this was said
What Are You Hiding From? The Delegation Trap
At 48:41 · chapter starts 48:00
The conversation turns to the specific, insidious trap that captures ambitious business owners: hiring yourself for every job because you're faster, cheaper, and 'better' than anyone else. Seth reframes this firmly: every time you do that, you're hiding. You're hiding from the actual strategic work — finding the partnership, building the asset, creating the system that will eventually make you unnecessary. He illustrates with an unusually candid personal confession: at his first internet company, he spent years walking in and enjoying the thrill of answering questions, solving problems, and being the connective tissue for nearly 100 people — 50 of whom reported directly to him. It felt productive. It was hiding. Only in the final three months before the company sold did he finally remove himself from whole sections of the operation, and that's when he understood what building an asset actually means. [1] — Seth Godin "When business owners keep doing every job themselves — because they're cheapest and fastest — they're not being efficient; they're hiding. …" 48:00
When business owners keep doing every job themselves — because they're cheapest and fastest — they're not being efficient; they're hiding. Hiding from the hard strategic work of building something bigger than themselves. Every task you do yourself is a question you're refusing to answer.
Every time you hire yourself to do a job in your business, you're avoiding your real job: building the assets and systems that let you eventually do none of those jobs.
Seth Godin grew one of the first internet companies to nearly 100 employees, with 50 reporting directly to him — and admits he was hiding from strategic work in the daily bustle.
