How To Stop Being Busy And Become A More Productive Leader
Busy and overwhelmed leader struggling to be productive.
As leaders, we have expectations of ourselves and our team members, for how much work we get done in a day. However, too often, we get pulled from one place and one task to the next, busying ourselves with servicing a constant barrage of communications from staff, colleagues, emails, calendar notifications and more.
Some of the leaders I coach say that on any given day, they spend less than half of their time on work in their genius zone. Instead, they find themselves busy outing fire after fire, playing catch-up with over-due tasks and report feelings of burnout and other health concerns. All of which compromises their overall effectiveness and ultimately, their true potential.
Scheduling daily tasks for completion.
What does your ideal work day look like?
A successful day begins with how you approach it. A productive approach means pulling from your management toolkit the skills necessary to focus on the crucial tasks and then commit the time it takes to maintain that focus to completion.
Set Your Intentions. Be clear and purposeful about how you approach each day. It helps to visualize your success at the end of the day, week or even month and this will serve as a reminder as to WHY you are doing what you do. Plus, it helps to eliminate the tasks or activities that do not support your WHY.
Schedule time to complete tasks. A proven way to address tasks effectively is to prioritize and schedule them. This means:
Make a list of the top actionable outcomes you want for the day
Allocate specific blocks of time to focus your attention on each.
Include two 30-minute blocks each day to work through your inbox, take and make calls, catch up with team members, or just to walk around the office and connect with your people or simply take a break.
Leader delegating and motivating her team.
Evaluate Tasks for Opportunities to Delegate. Great leaders develop the skillset of others. Instead of trying to do it all:
Provide opportunities for your team members to expand their capabilities. When considering the tasks before you, ask yourself: “Is someone else on my team capable of undertaking on this activity”? or “Could someone else take on this task and produce the same result”? If yes, then offer them that opportunity to step-up.
Provide clear instructions. Often, this is all the team needs to feel motivated and make sure they have the necessary tools and resources to deliver.
Follow though. This is the best way to earn the trust of your team and when that happens, productivity improves.
The busier you become as a leader, the less availability you are to yourself to think, and to your team to collaborate. Your personal and professional growth, as well as the growth of your company/entity and team depend on your ability to focus on the big picture, while getting the necessary and important daily work that only you can do, done.
Being more productive is a skill to help you succeed professionally, as well as create the life you want.
If you feel like you or someone you know are busy doing everything, you can get help to overcome the feelings of Frustration, Anxiety, Stress and Tiredness – That’s the F.A.S.T Track! Send this article to a colleague or a friend who you think may benefit from reading it!
I’m Nadine Seaga and I’m a Mindset & Leadership Coach, Founder & Chief Energy Officer (CEO) of People Development Consultants. I can help you to harness your full potential and the full potential of those you lead! Check out my free masterclass at http://www.pdconsults.com/freemasterclass Get started on this life-changing work.