10 Steps to Create a Killer Succession Plan

Posted on April 1, 2013 by Wayne Kehl

Retirement Watch

As a matter of age and evolution, every 10 to 20 years or so almost every business is forced to find new leaders to carry it into the future. As older leaders retire, replacements must be brought in to carry on their work.

In some cases leaders quit, die, are promoted, or transfer elsewhere.

Staying in Business

In all of those cases, they must be replaced if the business is to survive. Despite that inescapable truth, many businesses and organizations I work with are not properly prepared to replace their outgoing talent.

Often there seems to be a “head-in-the-sand” mind-set wherein, decision makers choose to leave well enough alone and hope that their current personnel structure will last forever or that a new, exciting leader will fall out of the woodwork on cue, when necessary.

Unfortunately, woodwork is often populated by termites, ants and beetles…none of which offer any great organizational leadership potential.

In order to build a valuable and effective succession plan, decision makers must firstly, “always” be on the lookout for future leaders. They must be thinking at all times about perpetuation of their organization and what will happen when their current good or bad leaders move on.

Succession should not be an emergency decision.

It should be like a cougar on the hunt…ready, alert and waiting to pounce when the opportunity arises.

10 Steps to Create a Killer Succession Plan

Here are some things to think about when planning for the perpetuation of your organization:

1) Be a savvy shopper.

In order to identify your future leaders you must accept that it is not always a good idea to buy your talent at the head-hunter store. In many cases, people who register with head-hunters have issues that have prevented them from finding work through other channels. You might want to consider them your last resort as they may be your potential undoing.

2)  Always try to promote from within.

This is a commonly accepted business principle that is often avoided or overlooked. It takes much less time to bring an existing employee up to speed than it does an outsider. Current staff members know your business, your culture and your brand…and you already know them.

3) Select from values-ready candidates.

Always promote or hire leaders who already possess your corporate values rather than trying to teach them your values after the employment contract is signed. Perform some professional skills and talent testing and use solid investigative interviewing techniques before you give them an office and an email address.

4) Never promote people out of obligation.

Organizations of all types tend to offer promotions to people who have hung-in-there the longest regardless of skills, talents or value. Tenure is NOT necessarily an indication of leadership ability and it should not be rewarded with a leadership position unless the person is actually a good leader.

5) Always be on the lookout for “keeners.” 

Keeners are people who love their jobs and quite naturally encourage others to excel in theirs. These people often offer advice and counsel to other even when not in a formal leadership role. There are many of them in many organizations and they often go unnoticed by the decision makers. They may or may not thrive in an elevated leadership position but if they are ignored or passed-over they will never realize their full capacity for leadership. Be a talent-scout within your own organization.

6) Once you have identified a potential leader, talk to them.

Let them know that you appreciate their work and that you see a bright future for them. Human beings of all personality types and skill levels love to be encouraged and they appreciate knowing that they have a future.

7) Put your future leaders on a “career path.”

Most people of the current younger generation want to know where they are going and how long it will take them to get there. Work with them to create milestones and expectations so that when the time comes, they can easily slip into a new leadership position.

Really good future leaders want advancement and if you don’t provide it, someone else will.

8) Provide leadership training to future leaders.

Although some people possess almost “natural” leadership skills, there is a lot to be learned about leading that cannot be gleaned through osmosis or exposure to ones immediate supervisor or manager. Formalize your leadership training and offer it to anyone who wants an opportunity to learn.

9) If you hire a new leader from outside of your own firm, never hire based on your “gut instincts.”

Your guts might help you in a fight–or-flight situation or when you are selecting an item on a restaurant menu, but they don’t work well for talent selection. Always utilize good talent assessment tools and have a panel of your peers and/or employees participate in the interview process so that your decision is not tainted by your guts.

Job applicants almost always adapt their behaviour to the interview process and what you saw is seldom what you get a month or two after they have settled into a new job.

10) Never hire in your own image or enforce your own leadership style.

Most of us tend to feel comfortable with people who are most like us. However, it takes many types of personalities to make a great team and one leadership style is not the “best” or the “only” way to lead. Take your personal feelings out of how a new leader should lead and allow them to deal with people in the way that works best for them.

Give them an array of leadership tools and then stand back and watch them fly.

A Brighter Future

In an increasingly competitive world you must have the best-of-the-best leaders if you want to have a commanding presence in the new millennium. If you have not started to build a leadership plan for the future, now is the time.

What have you done to ensure a successful succession process in your organization? If you have not yet started a succession plan, what’s stopping you? What would be an easy next-step in this direction to get you started? I would love to hear your thoughts!

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——————–
Wayne Kehl

Wayne Kehl is President and CCO at Dynamic Leadership Inc
He is author and behavioral analyst who lectures on leadership and motivation
Email | LinkedIn | Twitter | Web | Blog | Book | DISC

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Filed under: Organizational Health, Professional Development, Servant Leadership, Team Building Leadership | Tagged: , , , , | 4 Comments »

Your Leadership Quotient

Posted on March 21, 2013 by Wayne Kehl

Teamwork

During my 40-year career as a senior manager in the general insurance industry in Canada, I was often confronted and confounded by the word, TEAMWORK.

Almost every leader I met talked about wanting better teamwork or bragging about how great the teamwork in their area of influence already was.

Ideal Teamwork

Regardless of the confidence, cynicism or optimism of the leaders, in most cases when I spoke with rank-and-file employees, I found that overall, corporate teamwork was either sadly lacking or non-existent.

In all cases, it was evident that no one at any level really knew what an ideal “Teamwork Environment” looked like.

The challenge with TEAMWORK appears to be one of perception. What exactly is teamwork? Leaders (managers, foremen, supervisors, et al) often have a different view of teamwork than that of their direct reports.

  • Workers often feel that teamwork is the responsibility of the leader…in other words they believe that a good leader creates and manages good teamwork among his or her employees.
  •  Leaders, on the other hand tend to feel that teamwork is the purview of the team members. In other words they believe that good employees should be good team players and if teamwork is lacking, it is a result of one or more of the team members not exhibiting the qualities of a team player.

Functional Systems 

The dynamic that prevents teamwork from occurring consistently, randomly and systematically in any organization is the lack of true symbiosis between leaders and employees.

Unfortunately, in most working groups, there is seldom a close working association and cooperative relationship between management and staff that can engender or nurture a strong atmosphere of pure TEAMWORK.

So how do we establish true symbiosis between leaders and employees?

Team Structure

TEAMWORK requires structure and hierarchy… Some experts would prefer to replace hierarchical structure with equality and a flat management style where everyone is a partner and everyone is entitled to share in the decision making process at all times, in all ways.

In that structure all of the team members should be held accountable for challenges and failures.

But unfortunately not all of them will be willing to take on that responsibility when the time comes. The result is generally a break in the chain and potential bedlam because only a few will feel the ideological desire to make final decisions and accept ultimate responsibility when things don’t work out.

On Servant Leadership

My intention is not to tamper with the popular concept of servant leadership. In fact, I believe that all leaders should be servants…to a point. Strong leaders must lead at all times, they must be accountable for everything in their sphere of answerability and they must accept responsibility for the actions of their employees.

They must put themselves on the line and work selflessly for a mutually beneficial end.

Servant leadership is only possible when leaders are selfless and it should not be diluted by a structure where hierarchy is replaced by a confused and potentially chaotic lack of hierarchical leadership.

Be Wise, Organize

Successful military campaigns are lead by great leaders just as “Super bowls” and “Stanley Cups” are won by teams with great coaches.

Running a successful organization is really no different than winning a war or a game.

In all cases, the players must be able to look to a leader for direction and they must have almost blind-trust and extreme confidence in their leader to make good decisions for them…But that is not the only factor that matters.

Good TEAMWORK is driven from the bottom up by great leaders.

Ground Up Leadership

A good business leader will not assume that his or her employees understand TEAMWORK. A good leader will talk to her or his employees about TEAMWORK, what it entails, and what is expected on an ongoing and consistent basis.

A good leader will spend time learning the jobs of his or her employees and clarifying what is expected of each member of the team in each position.

TEAMWORK, (not unlike accounting and sales techniques) must be taught and learned. Symbiosis is not automatic and a generalized lack of engagement cannot be blamed on one or two “bad” employees.

When an organization lacks TEAMWORK, it lacks leadership and it is doomed to turmoil and potential failure.

Teamwork Quotient

Great organizations monitor their TQ (teamwork quotient) regularly and take steps to assure that everyone is onboard at all times. They know that without TEAMWORK they cannot advance as quickly as they would like and that every small step forward feels like a giant, muscle-pulling leap!

In order to reduce employee stress and increase profitability, great leaders make certain at all times that every employee is pulling his or her weight so that the business train can keep chugging relentlessly up the mountain of twenty-first century business challenges.

What is the TQ like in your organization? Have you monitored your TEAMWORK QUOTIENT to make sure that your organization has symbiosis at all levels? It is never too late to put your Teamwork Train back on the track!

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Learn, Grow & Develop Other Leaders™

——————–
Wayne Kehl

Wayne Kehl is President and CCO at Dynamic Leadership Inc
He is author and behavioral analyst who lectures on leadership and motivation
Email | LinkedIn | Twitter | Web | Blog | Book | DISC

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Leaders: Do Not Allow Anger To Lead Your Life

Posted on February 19, 2013 by Wayne Kehl

Walking on Egg Shells

Do you ever find yourself justifying your anger or actually believing that angry outbursts serve a useful purpose? Do you ever believe that anger is what makes you special?

If you have ever thought that being angry is good thing…think again!

Leading Your Life

Anger should not be allowed to lead you through life.

Once while conducting a performance review, I had the opportunity to have a discussion with an employee about the attitude she displayed with other employee in her workplace.

The general observations from others about this person were that she was miserable, unpleasant and downright mean. She was quite aware of her reputation and was completely unrepentant about it. She actually seemed to take comfort in the fact that she was able to make her mark in life by repelling other people.

Just as some people take comfort in their own despair, some wallow in their own repugnance to others.

This lady did not smile, did not frown, did not laugh; did not cry…she seemed in fact to be completely devoid of any and all emotion. Most of her responses to my questions were comprised of one-word answers, shoulder shrugs and grunts.

The more I spoke to her, the more unresponsive she became.

Finally, I felt compelled to tell her that I was concerned about her attitude toward me. At that point, she bragged that most people don’t like her attitude and that she had recently enrolled in an anger-management course because of “other issues.”

I asked if anger was a big part of her life and she responded in the affirmative.

At that point I noticed, for the first time, a small curl of a smile at the corners of her lips. That prompted me to ask her if she enjoyed being angry. She quickly responded, with a full-toothed smile, “Yup, I sure do!”

Through further discussion, I learned that this person had lived a very difficult life which included abusive parents, a history of drug and alcohol abuse, and a nasty divorce. It became clear to me that the events of her childhood had left her with a very negative view of the world and a need to escape it through potentially harmful behaviour.

Her past also led her to uncontrollable bouts of rage and anti-social behaviour. Because she was unable to overcome her personal issues, her life was a mess and her future was extremely bleak. Despite the fact that she was clearly spiraling into oblivion, she refused to accept that she needed to change. I have lost touch with her over the years, but I fear the worst.

This lady’s story is much more extreme than most, but many people suffer from the inability to control their emotions.

Some of those people carry around a well-concealed virtual hand grenade filled with explosive rage. For much of the time the grenade is hidden, but often it is just waiting for the pin to be pulled so that it can explode and splatter hot, angry, emotional shrapnel all over anyone unfortunate enough to be in its path of destruction.

Anger is not only wasted energy…it is a powerful, harmful force that has the capacity to destroy lives and end careers.

Psychological science has identified a condition known as “Borderline Personality Disorder” which is known to bring on the symptoms of uncontrollable rage that I have describe here. Theorists and psychologists agree that this disorder is often a result of disturbing traumatic events from an individual’s childhood.

Sometimes the person is not even aware of, or cannot remember the event or events that may be causing their distress. Instead, they will often inflict their rage on others, all-the-while justifying it as something positive and a personality trait that other people should simply accept or become accustomed to.

What they seem not to understand is that their behaviour is unacceptable in a civilized society and that they are systematically driving people away.

Even people who are not the direct object of their rage will avoid any sort of meaningful relationship with them out of fear and revulsion.

I have known a few angry bosses over the years, but until recently I simply chalked it up to an old-fashioned command and control style of leadership. I now believe that some of the rage I witnessed in those leaders was a result of an undiagnosed psychological or emotional condition.

Those leaders were able to hide their conditions behind their positions because unpleasant, angry bosses like Ebenezer Scrooge and Lou Grant were the stuff of popular culture and entertainment. During that era, we all knew that to be a leader, you had to be tough; and to be tough, you had to express anger.

Modern society now agrees that anger towards others is neither normal nor acceptable regardless of one’s position in life.

Psychologists have found that professional “talk-therapy” or coaching can provide extremely good results and a lessening, or complete elimination of inexplicable, long-term, rage events.

Of course, that will only work if the individual inflicted with the problem is able to admit to himself or herself that his or her behaviour is unacceptable.

They must also be willing to look in the mirror and tell the person looking back that a change is absolutely essential.

Acknowledgement of the problem is often much more difficult to endure than the eventual therapy.

If you have feelings of anger that cause fear or discomfort in others, do something about it. Admit that you have a problem and take steps to deal with it. You owe it to yourself to allow tranquility and contentment to overrule the exasperation, rage and despair in your life.

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Learn, Grow & Develop Other Leaders™

——————–
Wayne Kehl

Wayne Kehl is President and CCO at Dynamic Leadership Inc
He is author and behavioral analyst who lectures on leadership and motivation
Email | LinkedIn | Twitter | Web | Blog | Book | DISC

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A New Year’s Wish For Leaders

Posted on December 27, 2012 by Wayne Kehl

Benjamin Franklin

Be at war with your vices, at peace with your neighbors, and let every New Year find you a better man or woman.” ~Benjamin Franklin

Oh, if we could all just follow Benjamin Franklin’s advice, what a wonderful world it would be!

Questions for 2013

  • Why must we all find fault with each other while carrying anger and hatred into the world?
  • Why do so many of us want to see others fail so that we can succeed and why do we defend our lies as if they are truths?
  • Why are human beings so flawed, and why is each one of us so tragically human?

During the Christmas season the world is full of love and goodwill toward all mankind. Almost immediately after that, the New Year comes along and millions of folks make resolutions that most will never comply with.

>>> For those two days of the year we practice universal love and make conscious decisions to be better men and women.

>>> For the rest of the year, most of us simply go back to being the people we are and have always been with the inevitable consequences:

  • Wars rage on
  • Crime rates escalate
  • Court room waiting lists get longer
  • People die in alcohol related accidents
  • Ordinary people die from substance abuse
  • Others die from lung cancer, strokes, heart disease and violence
  • Obesity levels grow and we all continue our race to self-induced oblivion

It seems that most of us cannot sustain a conscious effort to be better men and women for more than a couple of days each year.

Answers for 2013

This year, why not become a leader to everyone in your life?

  • Why not set the example by overcoming your vices, putting aside your anger, adopting an attitude of pure positive thoughts and actions and by making a concerted effort to be a better person?
  • Can you do it?
  • Can you be the one person who will make a difference?

You probably cannot change the world single-handedly, but you can make a difference in your environment and you can make improvements in your own life that others will notice.

Forget about societal, cultural, employment-related, success driven, peer pressure-induced urges and just do what you know is right.

Resist the vices that you know are not helping you succeed, always put on a smile for everyone you meet, reach for positive thoughts in every situation and always do your best. Most importantly, make a deliberate effort to be a better person.

If you do that, you will never suffer from guilt of any kind and you will be a model for everyone you meet. In some way, large or small, you will be a leader of mankind.

Benjamin Franklin lived from 1706 to 1790 and yet he observed the same human behaviour that we all live with in 2012. Take a page out of his book and be someone who leads others to a better world.

It is never too late and it will always be noticed and appreciated.

**********

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Learn, Grow & Develop Other Leaders™

——————–
Wayne Kehl

Wayne Kehl is President and CCO at Dynamic Leadership Inc
He is author and behavioral analyst who lectures on leadership and motivation
Email | LinkedIn | Twitter | Web | Blog | Book | DISC

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Running in Donald Trump’s Shoes

Posted on November 6, 2012 by Wayne Kehl

Donald TrumpFamed businessman and entertainment mogul, Donald Trump is loved, hated, praised, and reviled concurrently on any given day.

  • He can command respect while attracting derision with almost anything he says or does.
  • He is generally known to be incredibly successful but he has seen his share of financial decline and uncertainty.
  • He is an enigma who changes his presentation, mood, and disposition with disconcerting irregularity.

In short, Donald Trump simultaneously represents everything people in the western world want and much of what we find repugnant. So, how does he do it and why do we care?

What drives “The Donald” and why does he work so hard?

The Donald

As a behavioural analyst, it is clear to me that Mr. Trump is a highly dominant individual. He has an overwhelming desire to win and he becomes very angry when faced with potential failure or disrespect.

Dominance also provides him with a thick skin and an unusually large dollop of courage.

It is clear that he is highly individualistic which means that he has an overwhelming desire to take control of essentially every facet of every situation, person, place, or thing he comes into contact with.

In order to win, he knows that he must work harder than anyone else and he must never drop his guard. I doubt that many people reading this have worked harder or run faster toward success than Donald Trump.

The Dominance Trait

The traits of dominance and individualism in combination provide him with an intimidating demeanour which he seems to savour. He often softens his overt criticisms with a smile or a joke in order to let his subjects know that he is not done with them yet.

If he smiles at them, after tearing their egos to shreds, there is a good chance they will live on to win or fail another day. That indicates that despite his dominant nature he is quite empathetic and deep inside of him beats a kindly heart.

He appears to have a love of the arts and beautiful people. That trait is generally accompanied by a need for overall harmony in his life and business. When harmony is not present he will be compelled to take charge by reacting with dominance…usually in the form of anger or impatience.

If he cannot regain control, he might feel the need to perform a decisive, extreme act…something along the lines of, “You’re fired!”

Why Do We Care About Donald Trump?

“The Donald” lives a lavish lifestyle and has the ability to do virtually anything he wants to. While the average person is driving a typical automobile, he is riding in the back of a stretch limo.

While the average person enjoys a walk in the park, he enjoys building incredible golf courses. While most of us struggle a lifetime to pay off a small mortgage, he trades in billions of dollars of real estate daily.

He has all of the things most of us want and he is unabashed about letting the world know about it.

Donald Trump’s “style” is one of strong mindedness, boldness, and self confidence.

Sense of Self

He could easily be accused of arrogance, but because he has a superior sense-of-self he probably sees himself not as arrogant, but rather cool, in-control and unassailable.

In his mind, he is not arrogant…he is instead…poised and confident.

He expects respect and when he doesn’t get it, he is quick to correct the situation one way or another.

  • Who among us would not like to live a life a wealth, free from worries about money or possessions?
  • Which one of us would not like to be able to have what we wanted when we wanted it while surrounded by adoring fans, employees and family members?
  • Who can honestly say they would not want what Donald Trump has?

We might not want to be him, but we would like to have what he worked so hard to get.

Secret to Success

He has found the secret to success and turned it into a multi-billion dollar empire. He has taken the elements of his personality and turned them into a larger-than-life iconic character. He is “The Donald” and centuries from now, he will be remembered for his many accomplishments and his powerful personality.

Do we really care about him in a meaningful, personal way?

Probably not, but we find him fascinating because he is so complex and so darned interesting.

Is Donald Trump a Leader?

Anyone who has watched the television show, “The Apprentice” or the “The Celebrity Apprentice” can easily see that “The Donald’s” contestants, employees, and family members revere and adore him.

Some of the most famous and beloved singers, actors, and comedians in the world insist on calling him “Mr. Trump” while fawning over him to gain his favour in the most obsequious ways.

He only has to walk into a room and sit down in order to bring everyone to attention.

His demeanour is that of a supreme-court judge…the only things missing are the long black robe and a gavel. Is that leadership or is it simple intimidation?

It appears to be a little of both, but some of the people who compete on his show have no need to be there other than for exposure and for the opportunity to get to know “The Donald” on a more personal basis.

They could leave any time, but they stay despite any scorn he might direct at them.

Facing the Music

The non-celebrities who compete go through an even more rigorous trial than the famous folks. The ones who are successful are the ones who are most like Mr. Trump.

They are the ones who are smart enough to understand what he wants, what he expects and what it will take to work with him. They are great followers who might, one day become great leaders.

Great leaders lead by example and anyone who can successfully model themselves after Donald Trump stands a good chance of accomplishing some of his achievements.

He might not be a classic “nice guy.” but he sets an example for success that is all but unequalled in business history.

If you want success, run a mile in Donald Trump’s shoes!

Open, honest disclosure: I must state that I have never met Donald Trump and my comments are opinions based only on my own observations and research I have done of publicly available information.

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Learn, Grow & Develop Other Leaders™

——————–
Wayne Kehl

Wayne Kehl is President and CCO at Dynamic Leadership Inc
He is author and behavioral analyst who lectures on leadership and motivation
Email | LinkedIn | Twitter | Web | Blog | Book | DISC

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Can Anyone Become A Great Leader?

Posted on October 18, 2012 by Wayne Kehl

Great Leader

Please do not assume great leadership is required for success.

Almost any organization can become financially successful through the application of excellent financial management principles, good research and development, professional marketing, and strategic acquisition of highly qualified employees and managers.

That however, is NOT leadership and the people who work in organizations that are not well led generally become disengaged over time. When that happens, performance wanes and sales decline.

Success without great leadership is a slippery slope that has caused many organizations to crash-and-burn despite fabulous market penetration and good financial growth.

Staying Power

Organizations with great leadership have staying power. They live on through all manner of market changes and economic woes. Great leaders run great organizations that are capable of remaining respected household names from one generation to the next.

Organizations with poor leadership are short lived. They eventually fade into distant memories of second-rate products, bad service and abysmal management.

There is no replacement for great leadership.

Principles of Leadership

Leadership is represented by the consistent application of the principles of:

  • Thoughtfulness,
  • Selflessness,
  • Integrity,
  • Compassion,
  • Respect,
  • Conscientiousness
  • And Courage.

All of these principles can usually be found in highly-regarded leaders. Does that sound like you? Does that sound like you at all times? If not, take heart…Leadership can be learned!

Great leaders, lead by example. Their unspoken intention is to consistently set a great example so that others may follow their lead. If you want to be a better leader, pay attention to great leaders and watch for the things that set them apart from others around them.

Think about what makes them different.

If you observe revered leaders and analyse the things they do and say you will find some commonalities. Check out their mannerisms, their way of speaking, the time they give people and their smile patterns. You will notice that despite the gravity of any given situation they remain calm and focus on putting the minds of others at rest.

In dire situations, when even they have no choice but to become emotional, they will quickly return to a more tranquil, composed state so that they may lead others to a safe and satisfactory end. Their sole purpose is to assist others and improve their lives.

Always Remember: The number one quality of a great leader is the desire to see others do well.

You Must Change

In order to put the principles of leadership to work in your own life, you must believe in yourself and you must be willing to change. Your mind and your very being must embrace three things:

  1.      You must truly want to change.
  2.      You must believe you can change.
  3.     You must believe that change will improve your life and the lives of others.

If you are not a great leader and you are not willing to change, you are tip-toeing around the common definition of insanity: “Doing the same things over and over again and expecting different results.”

Although you may not be insane when you avoid change, you cannot improve without it. The word, “improve” indicates a change for the better and improvement cannot happen on its own. It requires an outside, intervening force. That force is you!

If you go to work every day expecting others to change so that they can accept your leadership “style”, you will fail. Leadership is not about the people who must follow…it is about the person who is trying to lead…it is about you. If your style is not working, change it! If you continue to rely on a failing style, you will continue to fail in ever-increasing increments.

Discover your Leadership Style

Open up your mind and be willing to learn new things. Here are five simple things you can do to discover your own leadership style in order to become a better leader:

  1.      Ask your peers to describe your leadership style to you.
  2.      Ask your followers how they feel about your leadership style.
  3.      Be willing to accept criticism calmly.
  4.      Act on the criticism you hear, with an aim to improvement.
  5.      Review your “style” often.

If all else fails, get a coach. I specialize in leadership training and I am sometimes amazed at what some people think good leadership is. These are not bad people. They have simply grown up in an environment where negative or ineffective leadership styles are the norm.

They only need a small but powerful push to get them back on the right track.

Can Anyone Be a Great Leader?

No…Only those people who follow the principles of leadership, who are able to change and who are willing to do a lot of ongoing self-discovery will climb to the ranks of the great leaders of history.

What are you doing to improve your leadership style?

**********

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Learn, Grow & Develop Other Leaders™

——————–
Wayne Kehl

Wayne Kehl is President and CCO at Dynamic Leadership Inc
He is author and behavioral analyst who lectures on leadership and motivation
Email | LinkedIn | Twitter | Web | Blog | Book | DISC

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Filed under: Authentic Leadership, Emotionally Intelligent Leadership, Servant Leadership | 10 Comments »

Time Management For Leaders

Posted on September 16, 2012 by Wayne Kehl

Time Mangagement

Many people complain that they do not have enough time and can never get caught up. I want to share something with you that you might not expect.

 “You will never have enough time for everything no matter how hard you try.”

Being Busy is a Good Thing

People who are always caught up and not busy at work usually become redundant fairly quickly and you don’t want to be one of those.

As long as you are in the workforce, work will keep coming your way. If you are adding any value at all to your business, every time you walk through the door of your workplace a new challenge will be waiting.

The first step to time management is to accept that you will never get everything done and embrace it as symptom of success rather than a symbol of failure or poor performance.

Manage Your Time

In order to better manage your time for maximum efficiency, you must understand and admit to yourself that the problem is not a shortage of time…it is ineffective use of time!

The most successful people manage their time effectively, and then take action to accomplish more every day.  Good time managers have a laser-sharp focus on their work and an abundance of energy to get it done.

If you are constantly distracted from your work by outside, intervening forces, you will never manage your time effectively.

If you are lacking in energy and find your work to be drudgery or just too much to handle, you will never get ahead.

When you are often pulled away from the task at hand you will find yourself in a constant state of crisis management which can lead to misdirected action and burnout. If everything around you seems to be going wrong, you need to evaluate why you are being distracted from your real work.

It could be that you are being affected by old prejudices, bad influences from co-workers or a lack of clear direction. Anything that distracts you from your primary tasks must be eliminated if you want to enjoy good time management.

If you find yourself having constant interruptions from co-workers or family members that are not directly related to your immediate task, ask them to wait until a more appropriate time. I must repeat that time management requires focus and you cannot focus if you are paying more attention to other people than you are to your own job.

Keep Your Energy Up

If you find yourself being regularly short of energy, you must evaluate what is causing it, and then do something about it.

Low energy levels can be physiological or emotional. I would recommend that if you are tired all the time, you talk your doctor to rule out any sort of medical condition. If your health is good and you are still lacking in energy, you need to consider whether your lethargy is a result of family matters, personal problems, or a lack of engagement in your work.

When you have low energy levels and low focus, you will procrastinate and show up in body alone. You will hesitate to take initiative to get things done…often until it is too late.

It is possible that your procrastination is a result of having little or no belief in your own abilities, perhaps you have a fear of failure, or maybe you have had a negative experience in the past which is preventing you from taking action.

No matter what is causing your procrastination, you must push past it because it is one of the greatest killers of good time management there is.

Disengagement is a Killer

Disengagement can be identified by liberal displays of apathy, excuses and cynicism.

People who do not enjoy their jobs tend to fall into negative moods which prevent them from enjoying their work. When that happens they will do what my Mom would call “busy-work.”

In other words they will do all sorts of unnecessary, ineffective things in order to avoid the important, pressing issues before them.

Disengagement is one of greatest killers of time management.

If you are not engaged in your work, you must determine why.  Some causes of disengagement include, (but are not limited to) feeling unappreciated, believing you are overworked or not being paid enough to make ends meet. If any of those things apply to you, there is a good chance that your energy levels are low.

If that is the case, you need to make some changes in your workplace situation in order to recharge your batteries and bring your energy levels back to where they should be.

That might include speaking with your boss about your concerns and working out a plan for improvement.

Focus, Focus, Focus!

Without energy, you cannot have focus.

So, why do you need focus? When you have focus you:

  • Are not prone to radical emotional reactions.
  • You are less likely to become distracted by unimportant things.
  • You place full attention on truly meaningful things.
  • You are better able to manage your time.

Once your energy levels are up and you are able to focus on your work, your life will improve immeasurably.

Time management is not about the clock or too much work…Time management is all about you!

**********

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——————–
Wayne Kehl

Wayne Kehl is President and CCO at Dynamic Leadership Inc
He is author and behavioral analyst who lectures on leadership and motivation
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