Are You the Most Expensive Administrator in Your Company?
Are you still living under the illusion that you have saved money? Congratulations on becoming one of the most expensive administrators. If a leader performs a task that costs €20/h, the company is losing money. You are paying for the difference between your actual hourly rate and that price.
Sounds harsh? Probably. But if, as a leader, you spend three or more hours a week manually entering data into CRM or creating tables, then the role of the most expensive administrator could not be closer to the truth.
Let me correct myself right away. The problem is not that you don't know how to do it. I even believe that you do it better than others.
The problem is that an hour spent doing these tasks will not cost the company €20, which is what they would pay an external collaborator. No, it will cost much more. Just imagine paying for a simple burger with fries on a golden plate. This is what you do whenever you invest time in an administrative task.
Competitiveness in 2026 means not working more, but letting systems work for you. It doesn't mean that AI and machines like the ones in the Matrix make decisions for you.
I will use an example from everyday life: while machines count tools, or the system fills in a table, you deal with people. You will have time to have coffee with a client and close an important deal. The system will ultimately serve you, not the other way around.
The Trap of Micromanagement: Why "I'll Do It Myself" Is Risky Thinking
How many times have we fallen into our own trap, thinking, "I'd rather do it myself. I'll spend maybe 10 minutes instead of explaining how to do a job." And before you know it, this behavior is no longer the exception but the rule. You've unknowingly entered an infinite loop, from which it's hard to find a way out. You're not saving time, you're betting against yourself. In this game, the only prize is a reduction in your strategic advantage.
Two versions of reality are created: in one, you're convinced that you're developing productivity, and in the other, you're paying a "tax" for shifting your focus to other tasks. That this second reality is the one that takes precedence is also supported by science. It takes, on average, 23 minutes to get back to the previous task. When you choose a spreadsheet over an important meeting, you aren't just filling fields. You are wasting the energy you need for high-level decisions.
How to Delegate Tasks Effectively and Stop Wasting Money
The math might explain this better. If your hourly rate for a leader is €130/h, and you are doing work that an outside contractor would do for €20/h, you have just charged your company €110 in taxes as a result of your extra work.
Now back to the infinite loop. Instead of focusing on an organisation where everyone has their own task, you become the "engine" that always has to push to get it moving. Having complete control is nothing more than an illusion. You are calm while doing administrative tasks, but who is doing your job as a leader, director or manager?
From Focus Tax to Strategic Leadership and Vision
Every time you decide to fill out a spreadsheet, "just check something" is a step away from being a leader and a step closer to being an administrator. The real cost is not those 110 euros, but the loss of focus.
Those 23 minutes your brain spent trying to get back to where it started are the minutes in which ideas are born, innovations are made, and the future is built. Competitiveness in 2026 means building a system smart enough to take on the burden of certain tasks, allowing you to continue developing your vision.