“I’ve fallen into this trap too many times. In my mind, I tell myself if I’m busy, I’m adding value. But am I really?”
THIS WAS SAID by an overworked, over stressed manager who, during coaching, was reflecting and evaluating the results he was getting. The reality is that we can be busy about the wrong things. And, if we don’t discipline our lives, we’ll find ourselves investing a lot of our time with little impact.
Some leaders have this ailment called activity addiction. They think that having their plate overflowing each day means that they are excelling at their job. Being busy is not the same as being effective.
Truthfully, some highly effective people are not overly busy. They have learned to focus on priorities, not activities; to delegate but not micro-manage; and to discern when to act and when to let it go.
The most effective managers today are not addicted to being busy; rather, they are addicted to getting measurable results by doing the right things, in the right way and at the right time.
People think focus means saying yes to the things they have to work on. But that’s not what it means at all. It means saying no to the hundred other good ideas that there are.
So Pick Carefully!
Get together with your boss, team or board in the next week and answer these 6 questions:
What are the key things we have to accomplish this quarter?
Which are the most important or has the highest priority?
Why are they important to our team or organization?
When are our deadlines? How firm or how flexible?
Who are the key people or groups we must satisfy?
When faced with competing tasks or requests:
– What do we say yes to?
– What do we say no to?
– What do we put aside to later?
Smart Moves Tip:
Make sure your time is used to its best advantage. If you’re like most hard-charging leaders, you have a long to-do list and feel proud of it. Now take another look. Start a stop-doing list. Effective leaders have developed the discipline to stop doing anything and everything that doesn’t lead to the results they want.
I know this is my old fashioned view of things – but busy looks industrious. Thinking quietly, pensively, intently and asking the questions like you’ve listed, gives the appearance of doing nothing. Looks are deceiving. They have been in the past and they still are. Bring on the questions and instead of buzzing around looking busy – be busy asking high quality questions and THINKING through the right answers.
Jane, when I’m coaching managers I have to help them slow down and think before they act. Otherwise, they’ll push forward with an idea that has not been thought through, and then have to spend time dealing with the unintended consequences that they had not anticipated.
Exactly. Slowing down and asking the right questions is key. It might not give the appearance of productive, but it is far more productive than the alternative. We are saying the same thing.
It’s way too easy to fall into the habit of doing things for the sake of doing things. If you’re like me, you’ll hit a wall, and refuse to let that wall break you. You break through the wall and every wall after that — without realizing you are also breaking yourself in the process. You lose your health, your energy, and the enjoyment you receiving spending with others.
You’re definitely happier and more satisfied when you work to achieve something that keeps you healthy and energized.
Chris, your comment reminds me of a Steve Jobs quote:
“People think focus means saying yes to the things you have to work on. But that’s not what it means at all. It means saying no to the hundred other good ideas that there are. You have to pick carefully.”