It is no surprise that technology is a leading culprit in leadership exhaustion. PDA's keep us on call 24/7 and email seems to multiply overnight. Leaders are asked to accomplish more in less uninterrupted time. So what to do? Delegation is key. Consider delegation as a win-win opportunity; you provide yourself some much needed time to concentrate on your primary objectives while offering someone else an opportunity to stretch into new areas.

Leaders can hand off more to direct reports but often do not because of the perceived time investment. How much time would be saved in the long run by having a well rounded team ready to step up to the plate when you need them? The next time you're tempted to come in early or stay late ask yourself, "who has the attitude and aptitude to take this on?" If you can't come up with an answer, you may want to take another look at our previous Performance Pointer on Interviewing and Selection. As leaders, we need the right players in the dugout.

Consider how much time you are spending on tactical, non-strategic tasks. How much time would you free up by not doing work that could be given to someone else to complete? Are you allowing your staff to delegate up?

It may be time to give up or give back duties that consume your valuable time and leave you further from your goals. Prioritize your work week to spend the most time on activities that produce the greatest impact and leverage your special strengths. Approach delegation as a development opportunity for both parties; you will learn to let go and improve your ability to prioritize and they will get to take on new challenges and acquire new skills. In the end, were you really hired for quantity of work or quality of work? It may be time to rethink that to-do list.