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Thursday, October 7th, 2010
 Getting the right things done is the mark of effective managers. As we’ve discussed on many occasions, it’s not the quantity of work one accomplishes in the course of a day but rather the quality of the work that determines value and real productivity. In order to make sure our focus is on achievement and not activity, we have to understand the pure value of time.
We can obtain quantities of every other resource except time. Time is our most limiting resource, so time management is foundational to getting the right things done. Getting the most important things done in those precious hours and minutes we’ve been given is the key to valued performance and real productivity.
Because our time is so valuable, it only makes sense to maximize the time we have each day. We do so by focusing on those vital few things that make the greatest contribution to the success of the organizations we work for. Getting things done through people is the common definition of the manager’s role. I would argue the primary role of the manager is to make those important few contributions that help move our organizations forward.
Toward that end, it’s critically important to identify what those critical contributions are. Let’s do a little reflective thinking for a moment and try to determine what we need to focus time, attention and resources on – in order to contribute to organizational success and achievement.
1. What am I getting paid to do?
2. What should I be paid to do, if I’m being paid for getting the right things done in my position?
3. Am I doing things I shouldn’t be doing?
It’s question number three I want to focus on right now. Knowing what not to do is at least as important as knowing what to do, if we want to maximize performance and productivity. Creating a “Stop Doing List” is one of the most effective ways we can narrow our focus and zero in on those few things that move our performance and our organization forward.
Create Your Stop Doing List
In an effort to eliminate or reduce those activities that do not contribute to your effectiveness, identify three things you could stop doing – right now – that would enable you to focus on those things that really matter.
Notice I said “…things you could stop doing.” Creating a “Stop Doing List” doesn’t necessarily mean the task or project won’t get done; it just means you won’t be responsible for making it happen. Warning! We often find ourselves doing things – just because we always have – things that really have no meaningful effect on performance, productivity and results. We do them because we’ve always done them. That’s a bad plan!
Set yourself apart from the crowd by clarifying your most important tasks and eliminating those things from your schedule that rob you of your most precious resource – time. Create a “Stop Doing List” and keep it in front of you all the time.
Tags: achievement, done, effective, managers, projects, schedule, time
Posted in 2010, manager's minute | No Comments »
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Tuesday, September 21st, 2010
 As managers, one of the primary roles we fill is to be a problem solver. Whether it’s a challenge we’re facing on our own, or more a problem our team is challenged with, we often find ourselves problem solving.
While there are a number of ways to problem solve, one of the most practical methods I’ve found is to use the “5 Whys” technique. I like this method because it’s a great way to cut to the chase, identify the root cause of the problem, and not waste time dealing with symptoms.
Made popular by Toyota more than three decades ago, the “5 Whys” strategy was used by its production teams to problem solve. Once a problem was identified, the manager would gather the production team together and ask the simple question “Why?” Predictably, the first “why” prompted another “why,” and so on, until they were able to zero in on the root cause of the problem. As you can see, this methodology is easy to learn and easy to apply, so from a management standpoint, it’s a very useful tool.
Begin with the end in mind
This is wise advice, popularized by Stephen Covey in “The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People,” but in fact was used by good managers long before that. Starting with the desired result, and working backward to determine the root cause, will work in almost every circumstance.
Here’s an example of how to use this effective problem solving technique:
1. Why is our client unhappy? Because we didn’t deliver his widgets when we said we would.
2. Why were we unable to meet the agreed-upon schedule for delivery? Production took much longer than we thought it would.
3. Why did it take so much longer? Because this particular widget was more complex than others we’ve made for them.
4. Why did we underestimate the complexity of the job? Because we made a quick estimate based on previous orders, and failed to identify the individual stages needed to complete this particular project.
5. Why didn’t we fully understand the scope of the project? Because we were running behind on other projects. We clearly need to review our time estimation and specification procedures.
The “5 Whys” methodology is a simple but powerful tool for determining the root cause of almost any problem. Like everything else though, it does have its limitations. The “5 Whys” technique is best used in situations requiring an intuitive response. Technical problems, for example, might require a more sophisticated technique.
Tags: business, challenge, effective, management, manager, problem, problem solver, solution, solver
Posted in 2010, manager's minute | No Comments »
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Monday, May 24th, 2010
 “One can always hire technical ability, but the person who has technical knowledge plus the ability to express ideas, to assume leadership and to arouse enthusiasm among people – that person is headed for higher earning power.” (Dale Carnegie)
Carnegie spent his entire life seeking ways to help individuals and organizations improve their performance and productivity. Not only is Dale Carnegie a legend, but his classic “How To Win Friends and Influence People,” is one of the best selling books of all time in the field of performance improvement.
One of Carnegie’s fundamental beliefs, and a theme we see in virtually all of his writings, is the value of treating everyone we meet with dignity and respect. When he talked about the link between influence and leadership, he offered advice such as:
Avoid Arguments.
Respect differing viewpoints.
When you’re wrong, admit it and move on.
Let the other person talk more than you do.
To get the best out of your people, create competition in the spirit of a desire to excel.
When you want people to do things the way you suggest, point out the benefits.
Talk about your fallibility before pointing out someone else’s.
Harnessing the power of relationships is one of the greatest skills you’ll ever develop, personally or professionally. Individual and corporate accomplishment will be measured by how effectively we manage the relationships with our family, friends, colleagues and coworkers.
Does this sound too simple to be true? Carnegie’s critics referred to his thoughts on relationship building as “simplistic hyperbole.” Too simple to be effective, said some of his scholarly detractors.
Too simple? Truth is always simple. I didn’t say easy, but fundamental truth doesn’t require a Ph.D to figure out. And, sometimes Ph.Ds don’t like that.
Tags: effective, enthusiasm, influence, knowledge, leadership, power, professional, professionally, relationships, respect, simple
Posted in 2010 | No Comments »
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Thursday, May 6th, 2010
 This article is for those of you who have been recently promoted to manager or maybe have been managing for a while but have become a bit stale. It serves as a reminder that good management doesn’t just happen. Good managers develop certain skill sets that enable them to help make their respective companies a success. It also serves as a reminder that sometimes knowing what not to do is as important as knowing what is.
Here’s a short list of mistakes managers can make that will derail their efforts to move their organizations forward.
Mistake #1: Not getting the right people involved in decisions
In my opinion, this is the number one mistake managers make. Those of us who’ve been around management for a while know that the best decisions are made with the input of those folks actually doing the job. They know what works and what doesn’t. Get their opinion on operational decisions before moving forward. You may save a lot of time and money.
Mistake #2: Not creating a stable work environment
We live in a chaotic world, a time of tremendous change on almost every front. One of the smartest things you can do as a manager is to create a stable work environment. Don’t constantly change direction. Develop a plan for getting from where you are now to where you want to be, and stay with the plan. Make necessary course adjustments but don’t create a new plan every time you have a new idea, or jump into a new management fad.
Mistake #3: Not taking time to explain “why”
The days of “just do it because I told you to” are over. Two of the four generations in the workplace today were raised in the Information Age and have a burning desire to know why. It takes very little effort to give some background or context to a particular decision and will go a long way in gaining the support needed for successful completion of a project.
Mistake #4: Ignoring the value of training
Just because employees are a great workers, show up every day – on time, and have great attitudes, doesn’t mean they’ll be successful managers. It just means they’re good people! Add to their value by training to the position they are now in. Also require that they, in turn, pass that training along to the people they’re are working with. Create a culture of training and reward those who respond.
Mistake #5: Not having or utilizing clerical support
Managers need to focus time and attention on management. The primary role of a manager is to move important projects forward – not to spend a significant part of the day copying and collating. Good managers make very expensive copy machine operators.
Mistake #6: Underestimating the importance of work areas
Work areas are important to people. The more comfortable and aesthetically pleasing an employee’s work area can be, the more productive that person will be. Providing staff with clean, comfortable work areas only increases performance and productivity.
Mistake #7: Not promoting teamwork, collaboration and cooperation
Ken Blanchard, author of the business classic, The One Minute Manager, often reminds his audiences that: “None of us is as smart as all of us.” Pitting one work group against another is a recipe for failure. Successful companies understand the value of collaboration and, in fact, insist upon it.
Tags: business, clerical, decisions, effective, manager, managers, support, team, training, work environment
Posted in 2010, manager's minute | No Comments »
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Saturday, May 1st, 2010
 Being busy is most often used as a guise for avoiding the few critically important projects which must be done in order to move our life, our career or our business forward. It’s all too easy to convince ourselves that being busy and being productive are one and the same. Big mistake!
The same holds true for being effective and being efficient. Doing something unimportant well does not make us effective. Requiring a lot of time to finish a project or complete a task doesn’t make the task more important.
Here’s the key question to ask yourself: Am I being productive or am I just being active?
Being Selective Is the Key to Productivity
The two characteristics of high performers are: the ability to separate the urgent from the important, and second, the ability to focus their time and attention on those tasks that will complete important projects or produce the greatest results.
One of the best ways I know of to separate the important from the urgent is to apply the Pareto Principle. Also known as the law of the vital few or the 80/20 Rule, Pareto says the majority of productivity will come from a few select actions or activities.
The stark reality is most of what we do on a daily basis has little impact one way or the other in moving our most important projects forward. Unless we’re very selective in how we structure our day, the important will fall victim to the urgent. We’ll end up majoring on the minors, and what would otherwise be a productive day will be lost.
Being selective and doing less is the path to productivity. Identify those few critical tasks that contribute most to moving your career or your company forward. Schedule time during the day to work on those vital few tasks and don’t allow that time to be affected by trivial things. Hint: most email is trivial and meaningless. So are most phone calls and most office visits.
You have more control of your time than you give yourself credit for. Schedule your priorities. Ask yourself, if I could only accomplish one important thing today, what would it be? Once you make that important decision, schedule time to make it happen. The key to being more productive is doing less.
Tags: business, busy, career, control, effective, efficient, important, order, productivity, results, tasks, time, urgent
Posted in 2010 | No Comments »
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Tuesday, February 2nd, 2010
Successful people all have two things in common: they work with a sense of urgency and they understand the power of efficiency.
 Working with a sense of urgency doesn’t always mean working in a panic mode. It’s not about cranking out massive amounts of work. A sense of urgency stems from the desire to deliver value to those who are looking to you for results – your boss – your coworkers – your customers – your friends and, of course, your family.
Urgency is usually coupled with a sense of pride: pride in being able to provide good information, pride in being able to deliver on time, and pride in getting it right – the first time. Interestingly, working with this kind of urgency is actually energizing to those you work with. I don’t know about you, but I like working with people who want to get the job done quickly and correctly.
In addition to having a keen sense of urgency, being able to work efficiently is critical to success and achievement. The urgent is seldom important, it’s just urgent. To the extent you can, focus on those important things that move you or your organization forward. Make the important your highest priority and…do the important things first.
Urgency and efficiency go hand in hand. Here a few suggestions on how you can be more efficient and effective:
1. ORGANIZE…
Keep your desk and your files organized so you don’t have to waste time shuffling through files of paper.
2. WORK FROM A LIST…
Always work from a list. It doesn’t matter whether you call it a “to do” list or a “get it done list,” the important thing is that you have a list of those things that must be done today, this week and this month.
3. FINISH ONE TASK…
Finish one task before you go on to the next. Nothing destroys productivity more that jumping from one task to the next – and usually finishing neither.
4. COMMUNICATE EFFECTIVELY.
Let those you work for and those you work with know your schedule for the day. Let your boss know the priority of your projects and the time you’ll need to get them accomplished.
5. TAKE BREAKS.
Study after study shows the value of taking a break every couple of hours just to clear your head and re-focus on your priorities. Just a short walk around the office or stepping outside to get a little fresh air will do wonders for improving performance and productivity.
Getting Better, at whatever we do, isn’t particularly difficult, but it will require doing certain things, certain ways on a consistent basis. Learning to develop a sense of urgency, coupled with efficient work habits, is a good place to start.
Tags: accomplish, business, done, effective, efficiency, efficient, fast, finish, focus, focused, important, now, successful, urgency, urgent, work
Posted in 2010 | No Comments »
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