How to overcome the gigantic problem of time management…
The most important (and certainly the most common) problem to overcome if you want to become a great leader, is to find time for yourself and your team to develop.
In my work as a leadership coach, I often hear: “I need time and support to develop myself as a leader” or “our team needs some time out to strengthen to become more productive”.
The highest business priority is enabling your team to produce more, and for you to become a great leader to help make that happen. Automatically, the company will become more successful and the shareholders happier!
But the overwhelming problem for those leaders who contact me is for them to commit time to develop as a leader (or to develop their team) in order to obtain a certain goal or to generally improve productivity.
It’s a chicken or egg situation: the fact that the leader is not developed to a strategic level is the very reason for them not having the time to develop themselves to the strategic level!
The Key Question
Ask yourself this key question: ‘What is my base mantra?’
What does that mean? Well, it’s the mantra that you are running in your own head, that is making you live your life at this mad pace with no time for yourself. Common examples are:
- ‘If you don’t work hard, you’ll never be successful and success equals happiness’
- ‘Deep down I don’t feel good enough, they’ll find me out one day’
- ‘If I’m not busy then I’m lazy/selfish and these are really bad things to be’
So how do I find the time?
Do you feel as if you are working really hard with long hours but not achieving results as quickly as you expected? Are there more strategic things that your team ‘should’ do, but never have time to, because everyone’s so busy looking after the ‘day to day’ stuff?
Here’s how to start the ball rolling and make the time:
- STOP being the hamster on a wheel.
- Get off for a few minutes! The world won’t end, the company won’t collapse.
- Breathe and allow your head to settle.
- Open your mind to strategic thoughts rather than focusing on details
- Let the ideas flow and your leadership will start to develop
Keep Time on Your Side
Look after your time: it’s THE most valuable commodity.
If you’re really going to change the way you and your team work, then you have to commit 100% to a regular period when you spend time on developing yourself, or your team. Protect this time! It’s for you AND your team and is a vital step on the road to success as a leader.
Initially, when I get chatting to anyone in a leadership role, I say ‘Give me 6 days over 6 months with you and your team, and keep those free no matter what, then let me do all the hard work’.
Once a leader has made this commitment, then the seeds of development are sown and great things start to grow…
If this article has hit the nail on the head for you, please don’t waste any more time!
Email me at rwatson@bromptonassociates.com for an informal chat in person or over Skype — all you have to do is commit to this one hour and I’ll support you through the rest. I look forward to helping you.
Photos: Mike Wilson, neONBRAND, unsplash
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