Each day Leaders take the time to plan their day and assess their priorities. Questions they may ask themselves include: Are you spread all over the place? Or, are you focused on the few things that bring the highest reward? The greatest success comes only when you focus yourself and your people on what really matters.
Sharpen your Focus: There are days we begin full of passion, but lack direction. If you don’t know where you are going you can spin your wheels and waste a lot of time and energy that could be heading in the wrong direction. When you know where you should be headed your priorities become clearer and your actions become significant.
Great Passion + Clear Mission = Focused Action
I’ve become a huge fan of ‘List Making’; I wasn’t always appreciative of this activity. I grew up with high-productivity parents who believed that the accomplishment of the ‘daily list’ would occupy my time and allow for opportunity to feel accomplished. The key word is ‘ACCOMPLISHED.’ Little did I know that this 10-minute daily habit would allow me to prioritize tasks and delegate appropriately to offer the greatest impact towards results. Below are some simple tips that my mentors have taught me over the years to polish the daily habit of ‘List Making:’
- Determine the validity of the need. As you make a list of tasks, ask yourself, why is this important to me; my position, my business, my household? Does this item / issue need to be a high priority item for me “today” in order to get me closer to my goal or accomplishment? OR does it simply need to be considered further down the list of priorities? Be diligent with choosing 1-3 high priority items and allow the rest of the items to be listed as medium and low priorities.
- Look for a Leadership Opportunities. Ask yourself, with this priority, is there anyone else who has talents and skills who could take on this task? Would it be more appropriate for me, as a Leader, to delegate this item and help someone learn and expand their acumen? Recognize opportunities that are right in front of you, that you could use to develop the Leaders around you.
“Most effective Leaders focus on only a few things; they trust their people to do the rest.”
~ John Maxwell
- Delegate the task to competent people. When you look to delegate to people you have in mind for a task or project, ask yourself, is this candidate ‘willing’ and ‘able’. Too often Leaders move a task to an individual who is not capable of delivering results that don’t
get accomplished and both parties become leery of delegation. The Leader may want to consider the source they are delegating to. Ask yourself, is this person not only interested in taking on more, but do they have the competencies and skills to get the project or task accomplished.
- Great Leaders publicly confirm and commission their people. After you’ve considered the willingness and capabilities of the person you are delegating to, communicate this to the rest of the team. Let other team members and Leaders around you know that people are worthy to take on this new opportunity. This will build trust and confidence in the people that surround the person you delegate to.
Delegation is a powerful tool to help you get more done with your day and your project list. Great leaders understand that their effectiveness depends on their people’s success. Make it a priority to help them succeed!
The difference between activity and accomplishment is first viewing a need through the lens of the overall mission, in order to prioritize your time. Then zoom in on what should be done by you and what could be done by others. I found it interesting that this daily habit of prioritizing my day allows Leadership opportunities for others. Through this small daily activity there are great results to be achieved.
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Sarah Robertson
Sarah is the founder of Enthusiastic Executive, LLC and her team has proudly been serving Leaders of Organizations for 8 years. Sarah believes in empowering leaders to achieve more. The business niche is Human Capital Development and Business Strategy to improve ROI and Profitability. Previously, Sarah was a President/CEO of a Financial Institution.