No time and no money are the most frequent excuses for not doing what needs to be done. Do yourself a huge favor and drop them from your vocabulary. Time and money are just resources. No Time + No Money = Not a Priority We all have the same number of hours in a day and the reality is that far more of them are wasted than you realize, both yours and that of your employees. The waste stems from many sources: Unclear priorities and expectations Inefficient processes Mismatch of talent to responsibilities Inadequate investment in things like equipment, facilities, training, expert advice, and administrative support Lack of focus and discipline Mistakes and rework Confusion over roles and responsibilities Perfectionism and analysis paralysis Ineffective collaboration and communication. If you want something badly enough, you can make the time.
When there is too much to do, things fall through the cracks, delays become epidemic, and stress spirals out of control. If others are involved, discord brews and respect erodes. The result is rarely pretty. But it doesn’t have to be that way. When there is too much to do, there are only six possibilities. The good news is that five of them are effective. The bad news is that most people choose the sixth. Here are the five effective ways of dealing with overload: Accomplish more Delegate/outsource Cut corners Postpone Abandon What is #6? Choosing none of the above. The sixth choice is the only ineffective option. It’s called wishful thinking.
Yesterday’s Wall Street Journal claimed that three fourths of all departing employees would not recommend their employer to others, up from 42% three years ago. Granted, things have been tough for a few years, but do you know how your employees feel about their jobs at this point? Despite continued high unemployment, I know of far too many companies struggling to fill openings with high quality candidates. Your high quality employees may not yet realize they are in demand but once they get wind of another opportunity, will they flee?
I just heard about another business that is seeing almost weekly resignations. The economy is improving and people unhappy with their jobs are finding alternatives. It started slowly but the trend is pretty obvious now. This company has no idea how many of their people have been looking or who could be next. They could be crippled soon if a few more critical employees give notice. Furthermore, the toll these resignations is taking on those who remain will encourage others to join the parade. They are likely suffering from more work, broken routines, and missing camaraderie. How fast might this ship sink? Fast!
Listen with respect or you won’t hear anything at all. What does that mean? It means: You must care You must believe you have something to learn You must believe the other person has something to teach you
“59% of American high school students say they cheated on a test during the past year. 21% say they stole from a parent or other relative, and 80% say they lied about ‘something significant’ to a parent. Still, 92% say they’re satisfied with their own personal ethics and character.” (As seen in The Week magazine. Data from the Josephson Institute of Ethics.) It’s shocking, yes. Disturbing. Might make you worry about the future of our country. But maybe you should worry about the present. In what ways are you kidding yourself?
Delegating focuses the right people on the right things. It also helps employees to grow. But it is hard. Why? Three reasons: it involves trust or the lack of it, it creates fear of poor outcomes, and it requires clarity. As a result, we typically resort to one of three approaches: “It’s easier to do it myself,” which neither frees us to do more suitable tasks, nor gives employees the opportunity to grow “I must learn to delegate so here goes,” and then we throw the task over the wall with gritted teeth, crossed fingers, and little faith We delegate and micromanage, driving everyone nuts All of these approaches are unproductive, ridiculous, and unnecessary.
SMART goals – Specific, Measureable, Attainable, Relevant, and Timely – are all the rage, but are they smart? A smart goal is one that will be achieved. And if you want your goals to be achieved, these five SMART factors have several fatal flaws. First, the SMART factors don’t do much to ensure goals are important to the organization. “Relevant” is a weak statement of importance. Any goal worth defining and tracking should make a significant impact on the success of the organization. Second, the SMART factors say nothing about the individual who needs to achieve the goal. You can’t tell me a particular goal is equally smart for any number of different individuals. People are not interchangeable and therefore the goals assigned to them can’t be either.
The cause of impatience is a lack of progress. Here are three tips for improving your patience before you drive yourself and the other person crazy! Remind yourself that the other person is not you and most of what you think you know about that person is an assumption. Skill, knowledge, and attitude are invisible, so any conclusions you draw about those are suspect. Pay attention only to observable behavior and its consequences. Focus on the other person’s needs. What don’t they know or understand? Where are the obstacles? Work with him to remove the barriers. Break desired outcomes into intermediate outcomes – concrete next steps. Both of you will feel better when you can see real progress.
A friend recently asked me about the source of arrogance. While I suspect many of the arrogant are simply the insecure hiding behind a facade to protect themselves, I have met others who actually do believe they know everything that matters. They are the smartest, best educated, most talented, most logical, or most practical, at least that is what they think. They have a corner on that market and they just won’t listen to anyone else. I told my friend that she was asking the wrong person because I have never met anyone who couldn’t benefit from listening to more people, hearing more perspectives, and developing new insights. I can’t imagine denying the value others have to offer.