I’m constantly surprised by how much time managers spend in crisis mode, dealing with the urgent - and only sometimes important – stuff.
Perhaps they’re drowning under a barrage of questions and paperwork that they could delegate if they invested time in developing other people’s skills.
Or spending their days rushing from one meeting to another. Which, for me, raises two questions:
1) If your day is filled with back-to-back meetings, how and when can you implement the decisions made in those meetings?
2) And if no decisions are being made, why are you even in a meeting in the first place?
Working in a permanent state of crisis management is stressful. And it’s frustrating. Frustrating, because a bit more time spent dealing with those things that are important but not yet urgent could help prevent crises and enable managers to become better leaders. When important decisions are delayed, the problems they might have resolved can become the next crises.
One problem is that workplace cultures often create and perpetuate the illusion that those who are constantly in crisis, seemingly working harder, are working better and contributing more. When in fact, often, the exact opposite is true.
Another problem is that putting off important decisions can feel like the easy, less risky choice. Perhaps the workplace culture doesn’t encourage the brave decisions. Perhaps too many people believe they have a vested interest in preserving the status quo.
Avoiding decisions can become something of an art form. Committees are set up to consider them, responsibility is continually passed up the line, or they are simply ignored. I’ve witnessed people procrastinate for months, sometimes for years, over a decision that would save them time and money, all the time struggling to manage crises that might have been avoided by the decision they’ve yet to make.
In reality, you can’t put off making decisions. Inaction and procrastination are, in themselves, decisions. Decisions with potentially serious consequences for individuals and the organisations we work for.
Right at the beginning of this article I said managers were dealing with urgent – sometimes important - stuff and it’s important to recognise that urgency and importance are two completely separate things.
Time management isn’t so much a management skill as a critical leadership skill. Being able to focus on the important, rather than filling days with urgent, means being able to set the agenda, to create and pursue a vision, to manage the direction of travel: To lead rather than follow.
As you’d expect,
Trainers’ Library has loads of materials to help you develop time management skills within your teams and organisations. Here’s a small sample:
And, of course, Trainers’ Library is itself one of those leadership decisions that could you save you time and money, and help you avoid future crises – cutting the time it takes to put powerful, inventive and experiential training together by more than 80%.
Want to know more?
Get in touch and let us demonstrate the difference we could make to your working life.
Until next time...