Leadership Viewpoint

Okay, so enough already. We hear from managers all the time about how they “multi-task” to be more effective. It may be time to really review this myth.

Multi-tasking came from the home, where multiple projects can happen simultaneously. A good example might be that the laundry is being done, while dinner is being prepared, while watching TV. In this example, none of the activities actually require a typical person’s full brain power or attention. In fact, if you were preparing a complex, gourmet dinner, it is no longer prudent to multi-task.

Unfortunately, too many people are taking this concept and applying it incorrectly in the workplace. Multi-tasking has become an excuse for not focusing on important projects, incomplete work, and failing to listen to one another. The results, I fear, will become catastrophic if we don’t apply some common sense. Does this sound like you?

• • You place a call to somebody and then read/answer email during the call. Later, you don’t remember some information from that phone call and have to ‘double-check’ it with the other person.

• • You check your email or text messages during a meeting.

• • You take cell phone calls in the midst of discussing something.

There are a million more examples; we all know them. Compare these to the household example above. There are two critical distinctions:

• 1. In these examples, other people are being directly impacted, rather rudely, by the multi-tasking behavior.

• 2. Communication, a critical business function, is not receiving the appropriate focus that it demands for full effectiveness.

This week, after forwarding the exact same mission-critical email to a colleague three times, I am at a loss for her lack of focus. We cannot be so busy that our lack of attention infringes on other people’s workloads, and expect our careers and businesses to flourish. Business simply doesn’t work that way.

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Effective managers get things done. There are a million sayings about it. Perhaps my favorite is “walk the talk”. Our people follow our example. Once we have planned out our priorities, communicated our plans, and ensured that the management processes and tools are all in place, it is time to execute brilliantly.

Identify the top payoff activities that you need to do and schedule time to do them. This is much more than a “to do” list. This is actually scheduling time on your calendar to get the work done. Then treat that time as respectfully as if it were a meeting with senior management. Keep your appointment with yourself and do the specific work you have scheduled. The temptation will be to peruse email, make a couple ‘quick’ calls and take care of lots of fast little odds and ends. RESIST THE TEMPTATION!!! High performers do the important things first, NOT the easy things!

Remember that your team will follow whatever example you set. If they are to execute the important things, then it is absolutely fundamental that you do so first and consistently. Then hold them accountable for their end of the projects. What do you think will happen once you operate like this for a few weeks? Here’s what you might expect:

1. Your important projects will get and stay on track.
2. Your people will either step up their efforts, or look for other work.
3. You will have fewer ‘fires’ waste your time.
4. You will start to sleep better, because your mind will be at peace.

Go get it done!

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The most effective businesspeople have the ability to both lead and manage. If planning and communicating are primarily activities of leadership, little happens without management activities that sustain the talk. Management activities include getting the people and resources lined up for each project then and coordinated so that execution can be smooth and timely.

Effective managers also ensure that company systems are in place and set up properly to track and measure progress, challenges and successes. They assess and manage potential risks, and devise ways to avoid problems, such as taking the time to anticipate obstacles and ensure that those obstacles are addressed appropriately. As part of this, they consistently make certain that all company policies, directives and procedures are accommodated in project execution. Paperwork may seem like nonsense sometimes, but most of it serves a purpose for the organization. This sort of task is simply a routine part of business in the managing phase, and is never allowed to rise to the level of ‘issue’ when done well. Of course, in addition to the internal paperwork for projects, managing includes the external paperwork. Documentation and enforcement of contracts and agreements for work performed is all part of it.

All of this lays the groundwork for action, creating an environment for success to build and grow.

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Communication is the second key step to getting ourselves into action. Planning got us started, and once that’s ongoing, all the key people in our lives need to know the plan and their part in it. Project team communication is obvious. It is also critical, however, to communicate with management, peers, subordinates, and of course, our family and friends. This allows everyone to voice their questions, concerns, support issues, etc. with us, so that we can adjust our plans if needed.

So then, what and how should we communicate? If you’ve ever had a colleague that charges into your office or phones you every time he or she has an idea or issue, you might guess that this is not the recommended approach. It’s far more effective if you get your communications organized by person. In fact, for key people, keeping an ongoing collaboration issue list is very helpful, and its employment communicates a respect for their time that will serve you both well. We recommend prioritizing your list before visiting with key individuals, and discussing the most important ones first. That way, if you run short on time, the most critical items will be communicated.

Communication styles vary widely, so it is essential to tailor your approach for each person. Consider the other person’s pressures as well as your own issues. For instance, if the person is fast paced and business focused, don’t ask about their weekend! Get right to business. On the other hand, if he or she has a relaxed, slow paced style, match that too. Remember that people like people who are like themselves. Make them comfortable by patterning your communication after their style, and your communication will be far more effective.

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Planning is the first step toward making your goals come to life. There are tons of sources online to help you set S.M.A.R.T. goals. Let’s assume that you have them written as our starting point. If you don’t have them written, go do that before you spend any more time here.

The planning that we’re focusing on here is the type that leads to real action, starting with your annual calendar. Think ahead and get everything you can laid out on your calendar. Be sure to include: key business projects. milestones, vacations and time off, major company meetings, national holidays, key personal dates like birthdays and anniversaries, and anything else of note. Computers have made this so much easier than paper systems ever were, since recurring items can be entered once and appear indefinitely if appropriate.

At the beginning of each month, sit back and review your annual plan and make any needed changes. Then turn your focus to the month at hand. Now it’s time to get really clear about ‘to do’ lists to make certain that everything actually happens. At the beginning of each month, take an hour or so to anticipate what you need to do to make your calendared schedule come together smoothly. Block time on your schedule accordingly - not just for meetings, but also for real focused, quality work time. At the beginning of each week, ensure that your time is laid out well for the week, and do your detailed ‘to do’ list for the next day. Make that ‘to do’ list a daily ritual. Focus on consistently taking care of your top priority activities every single day.

The only guarantee that comes with all this planning is that you will know what ought to be done when an emergency occurs and pulls you off-track! Without good planning, the odds are high that you will stay off-track. With good planning, you’ll probably get back to your important tasks and improve your long term success dramatically. That’s the real point of planning.

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Some days it seems I am surrounded by people that talk about what needs to be done rather than simply doing it. They talk, meet, think, plan, ponder, consider, consult, compliment, coordinate, console, influence decision makers, impress senior managers and ultimately, little is accomplished. If only a tenth of that time were spent actually executing, productivity would skyrocket! It seems that in an effort to ensure that everybody is onboard and feels good, style has too often overtaken substance in the workplace.

People are very, very busy in corporate America. What I often find, however, is that they are busy with a plethora of non-productive activities. The basics of good time management demand that we attack our work in this order:

1. Plan
2. Communicate
3. Manage
4. Do

Lately, it seems a preponderance of people want to fumble about with the top three and hope that somebody else will take care of number four. As a result, too little is accomplished, and everyone is frustrated. Perhaps the information age has resulted in too many chiefs and not enough workers to execute the plans. More likely, corporate rewards are emphasizing appearances more than substance, and people instinctively gravitate toward whatever is rewarded.

Remember that the most effective leaders set an example of excellence, and that includes more than feel good talk. It also demands superb execution. Do it consistently, and others will willingly follow your example.

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Asking friends what wastes their time revealed that we really do have control over the biggest offenders. The responses I got from them were the computer and the television. Clearly this is a choice to lose time! Here are some ideas about how to enjoy them without wasting time.

Computer
Intended to be a tool and occasional source of entertainment, people become addicted to the games, or sometimes get caught up with fixing irrelevant details of various publications. Hours pass, and the next thing they know they’re behind schedule. If you’re like me, you get into whatever you’re doing and don’t notice the time. My solution is simple; set an alarm. On the computer, I use Outlook to notify me. This way, I spend a planned amount of time, whether for work or for fun, and my time is used consciously. Recreational use is fine, so long as it is done in moderation. This is a simple way to ensure that it doesn’t get out of hand.

Television
This is perhaps the biggest time waster in the U.S. today. I know, you only watch PBS and one other show; yeah right! Americans spend an unbelievable amount of time in front of the television, most of it recreational. It seems like a good idea at the time, yet if you were on your death bed, there would be so many things that you didn’t do because of the time spent in front of the TV. With that in mind, decide consciously how much time you are willing to devote to TV, and also decide what else you really want to do. Plan your time consciously, and the end result will be far superior to the mindless hours that many people spend with their TV. Learn a hobby, visit with family and friends, travel, build a second income; the list is endless, and you can do it!

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They come in all shapes and sizes. People and behaviors that demand and then waste our time seem to blanket the day. What to do?

Junk Mailers
They hit us at home, at the office, in snail mail, via email, and even in our blogs. They put flyers on cars, and load up our newspapers with their brochures. We are inundated, and the effect is that we tend to look past the messages that we would actually like to see because they are lost in the shuffle.

Eliminate - Don’t even set the junk mail and flyers on the table. Sort it immediately and file it directly in the garbage can.
Systematize - Consistently employ spam filters, junk mail filters, and visually scan out the junk.
Delegate - Even if you don’t have a staff, delegate physical organization to specialists. If this doesn’t come naturally to you, find an ‘organizer’ and have them set up your work space for efficiency.

Phone Interruptions
Some people prefer phone calls for simple issues that don’t require discussion. The problem with this is that it interrupts, and likely doesn’t match your schedule or priorities. Then, once they get you on the phone, they talk, and talk and talk!

Eliminate - Tell repeat offenders that you really prefer email, or that you cannot spend time with them during the workday, or, when feasible, to go away altogether (depending on who it is!).
Systematize - Caller ID is a huge help with this. Screen your calls. Then, when it is convenient for you, respond to their voice message via email whenever no discussion is required.
Delegate - Often the people who drive me crazy are the favorites of one of my colleagues. If that happens with you too, see if you can have the colleague act as the primary point of contact.

Improving our use of time takes constant vigilance. Send consistent messages to those around you and do everything possible to clear your life of the distractions that deter your efforts.

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We hear about the wonders of multi-tasking pretty much everywhere. We are all supposed to have a dozen things going on simultaneously, and everything will be done quickly and efficiently, almost as if there were twelve people, each handling one task. How’s that working out for you?

Of course, we all juggle multiple priorities - they are part and parcel of life today. There is, however, no substitute for the sheer power of focusing on a single, important task and really attacking it voraciously, especially when there has been some reasonable amount of warning and prep time. That’s the reason senior management teams hold retreats, and why we pay lots of money for market researchers to conduct ‘focus groups’. It’s a powerful and effective way to accomplish a goal.

Imagine if you could put the power of focus into the most important issues that you are facing. Envision how much you could accomplish and the incredible relief you would feel. Consider this secret weapon of great time managers. They multi-task the little stuff and focus on their priorities. To obtain ‘focus time’, you must get rid of the little nonsense that eats up your time. My battle cry for those issues is:

Eliminate———–Throw low priority items away.
Systematize——–Great for repetitive tasks like reports.
Delegate————Absolutely everything that anybody else can do.

For the important issues, make the world go away. No phones, no email, no interruptions, and a clear workspace. You may need to enlist the support of colleagues, family, friends, etc. to make it happen. Then give yourself an hour or two to attack the topic. It’s amazing what you can accomplish. Do it regularly and you’ll outperform the vast majority of businesspeople.

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As I reviewed my site statistics, I found that more people are interested in this topic than any other, so I figured I’d share a bit more on the topic. I laugh thinking that my stay-at-home mother never would have worried about this topic - truly this is a sign of the times. And the truth is, I gave her a hard time over the holidays last month when she marveled that her son had cooked a dish for Christmas dinner, while simultaneously taking it for granted that her daughter-in-law did pretty much everything else (while also working full time). My mother’s retort was that she takes it for granted that a woman will successfully multi-task!

My suspicion is that my mother’s thinking is commonplace, and that this type of thinking continues to put tremendous pressure on women to perform at unrealistic levels. As women try to live up to these unrealistic expectations, we become frustrated and place pressure on the men in our lives to help us, and then they feel the heat too. Of course, in households with a solitary adult, especially those with children present, the challenge of balancing work and home is often magnified. So what to do?

First, manage expectations. Communicate realistic expectations to those around you. This means sharing, with some clarity, exactly what you expect of both yourself and those around you. This applies both on the job and at home.

Second, set clear goals for each area of your life. There’s an excellent article (if I do say so myself!) that will walk you through this process here: http://www.adv-leadership-grp.com/Goal_Setting_Article.html.

Third, plan your time accordingly. This means scheduling fun, work, chores, down time, etc. People often tell me that they don’t think they should have to ’schedule’ fun. Guess what? When they don’t schedule it in, they often don’t make time for it. If it’s important, be sure to actually schedule it.

Fourth, review what you’ve laid out every month or so, make any necessary adjustments and communicate those adjustments to everyone that matters in your life. Continually communicate and manage expectations. The more you communicate, the higher the odds that others in your life will find ways to support you and accept the resulting outcomes.

Of course, all this took your time, so go do something relaxing for yourself!

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