Hard work
Working hard to achieve results is a lifelong commitment, just like marriage. It is always far harder than you imagined, and more likely to take a greater effort than anyone ever told you it would. When couples get married, they can soon become disappointed with the effort their partner puts in. They feel that it should be a 50:50 equal effort from both sides. Each one feels they are making that 50% effort, and that it is the other person letting them down. It is never like it was when they had just met; it all seemed easier then.
The reality is when they had just begun their relationship, they were probably each making far more effort in excess of their 50% ‘fair share’. Now you start to understand the real and major effort required to succeed in all you do. The commitment has to be strong and full and consistent.
Mark Twain summed up the work ethic he applied by stating
‘It usually takes more than three weeks to prepare a good impromptu speech’.
I was told once that an effective leader should have no more than five exceptional issues to deal with at any one time. Unfortunately life is never that straightforward, and if there’s a problem, it needs your attention. Delegation is the key to managing your workload, yet even then your accountability for the issue has not, and will never move from you!
Be bold with your decisions when you feel that you and those around you are at saturation point. Always aim to do things well, or not at that point in time. There are always options available it terms of phasing. Once you press to achieve too much, and something fails – so does your credibility – and try getting that back!
‘Managing your time’ is for managers. As a leader you need to lead your time by the scruff of the neck so you are the most effective you can be. This is how:
- Surround yourself with good, not just capable people, and trust them. Empower them and let them achieve success on your behalf – you can’t do it all yourself!
- Always make sure you are adding real value to the business; that you are ‘making a difference’ – that is your ultimate role.
- Roll your sleeves up and get on with it. Do not give yourself too much slack by reasoning that something else more important may turn up at any time. It can always be dealt with if it does, and that spare capacity will be wasted in the meantime! Success stems from nothing other than hard work. Colin Powell says ‘All work is honourable. Always do your best, because someone is watching’
- Stop being tempted to do the things you like doing. Do what you know needs to be done! Stop justifying ‘wasting’ your time because you like doing it.
On top of your game
Any good leader aims to achieve as much as they can within every working day. We all want to be working at the top of our game. And we are all prepared to put in the extra effort when it’s required. When it’s required; that’s the challenge. Be very aware of thinking that longer working hours makes you any more efficient, or achieves more – or does it just make you feel important? There is, I believe, a great self-delusion that staying later at work achieves more. If you are truly working to your optimum level throughout the day, you will achieve as much as a less engaged pace over longer hours. Challenge yourself to work effectively and efficiently throughout the day – then see whether you can justify staying late for the right reasons. Maybe you should be on your way home to work on your marriage!
Smart work
There is always a simpler, better, more efficient, cheaper, more engaging and customer friendly way to do anything! The trick is for you to encourage others to find it – and then for you to implement it!
Continual improvement is one of those ‘management speak’ phrases – for me it simply means we should find the smarter way of working!
This is where your investment in the engagement of every single one of your team pays itself back in terms of significant value.
Keep It Simple
Companies and organisations always make their tasks and processes far more complicated than they ever need to be. Your business needs to be kept as simple as possible. Large organisations commit managers to carry out simplification projects that take weeks to unravel what has been implemented over years. Avoid being too ‘clever’ by creating rules regulations, measures and procedures that take up valuable time to maintain yet do not add anything of real value to the business.
Make it clear
Misunderstandings and a lack of clarity waste so much time and effort in organisations. Clarity is essential for the smooth running of any large or small company.
Outstanding leaders take the time to put across easy to understand concepts for everyone to clearly understand. They ensure people know how it will affect them personally.
Work to eliminate an individual’s ‘fear of the unknown’ by providing relevant and clear detail, and make it easy for them to fearlessly commit to supporting you and your proposals.
Keep chatting!
Most commentators say good communication is the single most important element of moving an issue, a team or a business forward. Surely the most straightforward message that is conveyed with the greatest clarity will work the best. Once your message is out there, check it is understood. Have opportunity for an open dialogue. Your proposal may gain from fine tuning through the suggestions you receive back from your team. It is also a huge opportunity to engage them personally in what you are all setting out to achieve.
Anyone can make a simple issue complicated. Outstanding leaders make complex issues simple.
