OOO Delegation ⇪

Our aim at Athena is to help you achieve more by becoming an advanced delegator.

In each issue of our newsletter you’ll get unique delegation tips, including:

• Member Spotlight → New Year, New You

• Level Up → OOO Delegation

MEMBER SPOTLIGHT

New Year, New You

The most successful leaders don’t simply set goals. They also build systems to achieve them.

That's why most Athena members delegate parts of their goal tracking and accountability to their assistants.

Want to see how other high achievers are planning to level up in 2025?

Share your top delegation goal for the year here. We'll review submissions from our community of 1,500+ leaders and write about:

• Most common goals and themes

• Surprising trends in how leaders plan to achieve more

• Creative ways members work with their Athena assistants

We’ll share the anonymous results in the new year.

LEVEL UP

OOO Delegation

Last July, I sat on a beach in Positano staring at my phone instead of the Mediterranean. My spouse gave me the look (you know the one). The 'you promised this would be different' look. It was my second 'vacation' that year, and like the others, I was still basically working.

The worst part? I had an assistant. A really good one. But I had never properly set them up to actually let me disconnect.

During the Thanksgiving holiday, we road-tested a new plan. Instead of the usual chaos, we created three simple zones for handling work while I was away:

Green Light (“Do”)

My assistant owns these completely — inbox management, scheduling, our established protocols. Last month, they handled 47 emails and rescheduled 8 meetings without needing me. When I returned, my calendar was organized and my inbox was clean.

Yellow Light ("Maybe")

These tasks may need a check-in, but can still be substantially done largely without your input. A potential sales partner reached out during my beach trip. My assistant gathered info, ran it through our checklist, and had everything ready for my first day back. No opportunities lost, no time wasted.

Red Light (“Wait”)

Some things just need my direct input. Client emergencies, sensitive team issues — we have a plan for these. My assistant knows exactly who to contact and what steps to take until I'm back.

The final result in this case was a week with my extended family for Thanksgiving with no crises to speak of. My assistant handled 80% of what came up, gathered info for another 15%, and only had to ping me once about a legitimate emergency.

My OOO dread is dead and I'm looking forward to taking time off for the holidays.

Liked this issue? Let us know by voting in the poll below. And expect to receive more delegation tips to help you build leverage every few weeks.