inspire: empower: get results
Set DEADLINES
Concentrate on OUTPUTS. Preparation time, analysis, backgrounding, et cetera are necessary but alone achieve nothing. Place emphasis on output rather than input.
Look for EFFICIENT ways to be EFFECTIVE. Streamline everything you do and do these things well.
Treat every engagement like it is your last..
This gives you total freedom
Do it without thinking about the future
Just think about what you want to leave behind
A good way to think about where to put your effort and use your time.
Ask
Is this the best use of my time?
if not, how do I do this for the last time?
Then
Replace low value activities with those of higher value
Step Back from the Immediate Tasks.
Take some time to think and reflect – objectively identify the high-payoff activities. These activities should be judged based on the end result – not on the action itself. Writing emails is often a low-payoff activity, but when the email helps everyone on the team to focus on one goal, it is undoubtedly a high payoff. Write it deliberately…don’t just produce a “stream of consciousness” that blurs the message.
Delegate, delegate, delegate.
The best leaders are undoubtedly the best delegators – make sure the jobs you give people a whole and meaningful and that you do give them the jobs. Don’t get them to report unless they are in trouble. Develop the self-confidence to let them do their jobs. Delegating is a development tool. Delegating is a way to distribute the workload. Delegating is a way to help the organisation work on essential tasks. Delegation should not add to your workload, so delegate…and forget until the results roll in. You’ve cleared the decks to do other things.
Plan AND SCHEDULE daily.
Go beyond a simple “TO-DO List” or a list of priorities and also schedule your activities. Schedule time to complete a slice of an important, long-term exercise. Don’t plan to do the not urgent, or the urgent but not important and hope you will get time to do what is critical to getting results. Schedule first the high-pay-off activities, and fit the rest around those. Do everything in their power to stick to the schedule.
Get Results.
Help the entire team focus on the essential issues. Indicate that actions are judged on results, not progress reports. Outputs lead to outcomes – a report is seldom an outcome!! Make sure you and the team are clear on the outcomes wanted and the outputs needed to get there.