4 Things Tiffany Dufu Taught Us in Her Book “Drop The Ball”

“Even though women make up half the workforce, they still represent only 18 percent of the highest-level leaders. The reasons are obvious… mounting responsibilities at work and home leave them with no bandwidth to do what will most lead to their success.”

“Drop The Ball: Achieving More by Doing Less” was released by Tiffany Dufu in 2017, but it is something that I always come back to. Immediately moved by a powerful quote on the insert of the book’s hardcover edition, I knew I needed all of the gems that were to follow. I quickly learned that Drop The Ball is all about us embracing imperfection and expecting more of others in order to increase our capacity to show up for our deepest passions and goals. I recommend this book to all of the goal-getting women in my life because it is so thought provoking. It provides a clear framework for restructuring the way women approach their responsibilities. 

Continue reading for the top 4 things I gleaned from Drop The Ball. 

The Law of Comparative Advantage:

Focus on areas where you bring the most value. “Just because you’re better at doing something doesn’t mean you doing it is the most productive use of your time.” Shorten your evergrowing to-do list by off-loading the things that others can do for you. 

Delegate with Joy:

When you do recruit your village for help with your to-do list, do so by asking them to chip in with a higher purpose. Delegating with Joy lets the other person know that you are entrusting them with a certain task in order to free up time for you to fulfill your broader goals. And when you first start dropping balls, do not expect others to do things your way. Give them grace and get comfortable with imperfection. 

Find an All-In Partner and Clarify Who Does What: 

Tiffany went as far as creating a Management Excel List, what she and her husband refer to as MEL. Together they developed a list of all of the household to-dos and divided them amongst each other. The MEL is fluid and should be revisited often. Things will need to be redelegated when one partner is more busy or away of course. The premise is true teamwork! A major key to this concept is that you are involved with an All-In Partner, someone who is willing to be equally engaged at home as you. This book is a prerequisite for my next relationship! 

Love Ourselves as Imperfect:

As women, there is so much pressure to be perfect in all areas of our lives: the perfect wife… the perfect mother… and the perfect business woman. For years, we’ve heard the stories and felt the pressure to have it all. But in Drop The Ball, we learn that having it all doesn’t mean you have to do it all. In fact, you absolutely shouldn’t. This also means coming to terms with your own imperfections. Once we stop expecting perfection from ourselves (and others), we can truly begin to Drop The Ball and achieve more by doing less.  

Go ahead, just get the book and start dropping the ball—I’m sure you will be grateful!