The amount of time each of us wastes every day is frightening. There is never enough time in a day for most of us.
I was just at Spider Lake Lodge in Hayward Wisconsin. In the lodge, there is a clock with no hands. Under the clock, there is a sign that says "here, there is no time".
For four precious days, I had plenty of time thanks to that clock, the inner tube I floated around the lake in with my friend, and no cell coverage. http://www.spiderlakelodge.com
The right support saves huge amounts of time and allows leaders to be strategic and creative rather than being bogged down with daily tasks.
We often begin a possible client relationship with a Needs Assessment…
Our first homework assignment for our client is to keep track of how they are spending time for two weeks! How much of what they do can be delegated?
When we review the Time and Motion study of even one day, our client generally has a big epiphany!
Biggest time wasters? You can guess already!
Email Management. Each time one email comes in , it is a distraction that can take giant bites of time through distracting interruptions.
Searching for documents/numbers/names/emails.If you don't know about Google Desktop Search, go download it NOW! It saves us hours every week… and either for our executives or our Executive Support Professionals, it is an invaluable tool!
One of our affiliate Executive Coaches, David Peck, has a wonderful weekly email with tips and facts. Visit David's website to sign up and read more about him. http://www.leadershipunleashed.com
Please read today's LeaderTip and see that 35% of Executives spend the majority of their time on daily tasks and issues!
Monday's LeaderTip: Leadership's Time Frame
Optimal leadership has a time-frame, and it's the near future. A startling 35% of "leaders" spend the majority of their time on day-to-day tasks and issues, according to our recent survey. Of course leaders must skillfully balance their time between today and tomorrow-yet when today's the rule, rather than the exception, there's a problem. To the extent you are quite absorbed with the demands of the present, your eyes are off the road ahead, making it easy to miss an upcoming roadblock or a better way to achieve your goals. Do what is needed to shift the focus of your leadership from the present to the future, and you will appreciate the positive results that follow.
Self-coaching questions:
- Is the time I spend dealing with the responsibilities of the past or present versus the future well-balanced?
- What would need to change in my own approach, and in others for my focus to be more on the road ahead?
- What benefits would follow if I were to hand off present-day tasks to others, and focus the majority of my time on achieving my vision, executing a continuously-improving strategy, and removing upcoming obstacles?
