Practice does not make perfect. Only perfect practice makes perfect. – Vince Lombardi
As a leadership strategist and coach, I practice what I preach – management of self. One of the top leadership traits, as I define leadership, is getting things done. To get things done, a leader must be organized. Being organized creates good habits and ultimately creates success, that is, if things are actually accomplished – the big difference is accomplishment, not activity.
Here are some things that I know to be true:
Successful leaders have successful routines.
Successful leaders plan for results and work their plan.
High-functioning leaders review progress at the end of each day and evaluate their performance.
Successful leaders ask for input.
Successful leaders have a coach and an accountability partner.
Successful leaders form habits that produce results.
Habits, in my world, are functions and not attitudes. Covey identifies his top 7 habits of highly successful people, which are mental positioning for excellence. Musicians rehearse effectively in order to constantly perform at the highest standard. You can say the same for many professionals, such as athletes, actors, magicians, chefs, and many more. It’s the rehearsal that makes the difference in the results. Mentally positioning yourself is essential. Forming good habits is crucial – especially for creative people.
Here’s my list of daily habits that drive success:
- Schedule a time to plan each day and review at the end – If planning time is not placed on the calendar, it will not happen. Schedule time to plan, time to rest, time to review, time to evaluate, and time to think. Thinking is good.
- Schedule activities to focus on the task at hand – It’s called “Time Activation.” Activate to-dos on your calendar. I set up reminder alerts to stay on track. If it’s not on the calendar, it’s likely to be overlooked.
- Define achievable daily accomplishments (DVDs) the day BEFORE – This is the “Now;” also create transition time between each “Now.” Too tight a schedule conflicts with productivity. We need time to finish up from calls and meetings and to create the follow-up items that create success. The secret is in the follow-up. The day’s DVDs (Daily Valuable Deliverables) are created the day before. Waiting until the day of is a formula for failure. Often, the day is over before getting to the activity task formation. Also, creating the DVD list the day before means that the brain is already working on them and ready to move forward.
- Begin and end activity as scheduled – Learn to plan appropriate activity for the appropriate amount of time. This takes practice. The daily evaluation provides reflecting time to improve the planning process. Being too bold and falling short on results creates negative emotions and does not produce results.
- Care for the body – posture, water, light, movement, and food – Brain food, water and movement keep the thinking active and minimize mistakes. Being tired and hungry create a longer process with too many errors. Learning to create a pace and rhythm for work is important. Burn-out might seem like something that shows maximum effort and dedication to a cause – not true, it’s a sign of poor planning and poor management of self.
Here’s my list of the top mental skills:
- Clarity – Define the desired outcomes, macro and micro, and develop a work plan from those outcomes. Being clear in results drives effective work.
- Focus – Eliminate distractions. Find a workplace without distractions. Turn off email notifications when email is not on the current task list. Move around 5 minutes each half hour. Find tools for focus that work for you.
- Influence – By producing results, the focus on achievement, and not on activity, will influence others to do the same. The best way to raise the function of your team is to function at a higher standard yourself. High functioning is not overfunctioning for others.
- Boundaries – Define what is not on the daily schedule and stick to the schedule – regardless. However, do leave room for “sliding priorities” which come up in any business. Leave room for these additional things that must happen. You can always dig into future deliverables if you have extra time.
- Orchestration – Getting things done is my #1 description of leadership. Knowing how things get done is #2. Orchestrating success takes work. It’s a skill set in addition to all the others. Have a process coach to help learn what is missing, and learn about process from a person knowledgeable in that area.
- Reframing – If something’s not working, then reverse your thinking. Reframe the question or rethink the strategy. Getting stuck in a rut by attempting the same thing with more force is not going to help.
- Questioning – Not having all the answers is OK – we are not supposed to have all the answers. Asking good questions of team members provides answers to leadership blind spots that everyone has.
- Listening – This is a lost leadership skill. Listening is the other half of questioning. Listen carefully without interruption, and then leave at least 3 seconds of silence after the other person speaks. It’s amazing what happens when leaders pay attention to what’s happening to discover why it is happening.
- Thinking – Along with listening, this is the most neglected leadership skill. Schedule time for thinking. Create silence and eliminate all distractions. Just think.
- Commitment – Define the benefits of achieving each goal. Then commit to achieving that benefit and not to just accomplishing the goal. The WHY is very important. Commitment to the why allows the leader to reflect on their own personal commitment in achieving the goal.
- Timing – Define how many activities are happening and how many deliverables are due in an interval of time. One too many activities can compromise the rest of the goals. Are there too many, and is each timely in the life of the enterprise and the flow of everyday life?
My typical work day (days not on site with clients):
- Coffee, and review daily DVDs and schedule
- Devotional and inspirational time – reading, meditation, prayer, thinking
- Move to scheduled daily activities
- Review the day and evaluate effectiveness – make notes
- Schedule the following day’s DVDs (at the end of the week, evaluate the week and set priorities for the following week)
All my activities are within my business strategy and monthly goals for my business.
To be successful, it’s important to function successfully.
Hugh Ballou
The Transformational Leadership Strategist TM
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