improve personal effectiveness
5 Steps to Personal Effectiveness for Managers: how to buy more time to get things done
By Chris Halward, Managing Director, True North
Sitting down at your desk you take a deep breath and steel yourself for the day ahead. You didn't sleep to well last night, lots on your mind - work mainly. There is a lot to do, an awful lot, and it is difficult to see how it can all get done, even if you stay late - as seems to happen most days.
If this sounds a bit like you then you are not alone. According to the CMI's Quality of Work Report 2007:
"Eighty-nine per cent of managers regularly work over their contracted hours"
A lot of managers focus on getting the most from their teams, and too many forget that they need to consider how to get the most from themselves. Yet a manager who is personally effective will manage others far more successfully.
So, as a manager, what is the secret to becoming more effective? Here is our recipe.
The True North 5 step approach
1. Reflect on the value of being more effective
The first step in becoming more effective is to recognise the benefit that will result. Here's what some of clients said when we have asked the question:
"I'd get more done in a day." "I would feel a real sense of achievement." "I am sure I would communicate more with others, and do it more effectively." "I would feel more energetic, and less stressed - meaning I could get more done." "I would be in control - and feel more confident in so many ways."
Take a moment to think about it - what would the world look like if you were working at maximum efficiency? What is the value of being more effective to you? This is critical - time management is not easy and if you are not clear why you are doing it, you won't! Make a psychological contract with yourself.
2. Clarify your goals
It's an old chestnut but the Cheshire Cat saying is spot on:
"If you don't know where you are going, any road will get you there."
If you don't think about where you are going you'll end up nowhere at all!
Think about what is important to you; what are you trying to achieve? Having real clarity around your goals, both short and long term will help enormously in becoming more effective.
3. Plan your days
Aim to have achieving days, not deceiving days:
- Achieving days are ones where you make progress towards your goals, and at the end of these days you feel good.
- Deceiving days are those where you feel you are incredibly busy but it's really just noise - you are not making much progress. At the end of those days you feel drained, anxious and tired.
The solution is to plan your day. There are lots of models you can use but a simple To Do list is as good as any. At True North we teach managers a particularly effective variation - our Must, Needs and Wants tool helps manager to prioritise their actions. We add in an estimate of the time each task will take - this really helps in developing proficiency in the art of the possible and preventing you from being over ambitious with your day. Don't forget to include in your Musts the task of planning your day!
4. Monitor your time and be honest about where it goes
Monitor your time, and identify where it goes. A recent survey found that a manager is interrupted on average every 8 minutes, with each interruption taking 5 minutes to address. Interruptions can be a real time drainer; they can hit your overall effectiveness by stopping your flow. A task that should take 10 minutes can take twice that if you are continually stopping and starting. Worth thinking about, particularly if you are someone who is continually dipping into emails - one of, if not the biggest interruption of all.
5. Maintain your focus
Maintaining your focus is the challenge. This is largely psychological. For some it is relatively easy to move down a To Do list and only do the things they have planned to do; for most it is much more difficult; for a few it feels almost impossible. External interruptions are a big problem, but don't ignore your own internal interrupters either. Sit down with colleagues or with your coach if you have one, and talk through your 'inner demons'!
One last thought - in my experience most managers are very much better than their performance shows. The gap between current and potential performance is in getting things done - in other words, personal effectiveness. So don't put off until tomorrow taking action to improve your personal effectiveness - do it NOW!
Personal Effectiveness training is part of True North's Management Skills Toolkit. For more information please contact Chris Halward on 0845 130 5500, chrish@truenorthgb.com