Are You Being Efficient As A Leader?



Posted: Monday, February 02, 2009

by
http://www.LeadershipMentor.com

Let's face it. For most of us, being a leader of a team or organization is an endless challenge. Anytime we deal with people, there is an unlimited amount of unknowns that are going to take place. We start each day by planning our activities and then prioritizing them. But we rarely complete everything, and that's OK. But what are some of the signs we need to watch out for that should be telling us we are not being efficient?

First, are you constantly dealing with the same issue over and over? When we are overloaded with issues, we often times but a temporary fix on something rather than fixing the root of the issue. If your team members take turns coming in late, you may be tempted to write a blistering email or spend a few minutes shouting at the offender. Looking at this from the "root cause", a better approach may be to share with the team the effects of someone coming in late. How does it effect the customer or other team members? Placing a clear picture of actual effects of being late may make a difference.

You may also need to look at how you are communicating and managing the attendance policy. Do you get angry, but just show frustration to your team members without setting clear expectations going forward? Few leaders truly enjoy confrontation, but meeting the issue head on, being assertive, and clearly articulating the required behavior is vital to getting this issue under control. We usually only do what we can "get away" with.

Second, are you missing deadline after deadline? Nothing causes us stress more than having large projects coming due and not being prepared. Much like the college final exam, you usually can't begin to prepare the day before. The first place to look for the root cause should be our time management. We know that we need to begin each day with a clear, written list of what we need to accomplish. We also know that we need to prioritize this list and ONLY work on the most important items first. Missing deadlines is a sure symptom of not effectively prioritizing your work. Plan your work, work your plan!

Finally, are you a leader that continually gets "passed over" for promotions? It's happened to me many times. You think you are doing well, you put your name in for higher level positions, but someone always ends up getting the position over you. The issue here is knowing the expectations others have on you. Review your previous performance evaluations. Read through your job description. Meet with the hiring manager for some of the positions you applied for and did not get. Ask them what attributes the person had that did get the position. Tell them you want to improve, you just need their help. Be positive and upbeat, so the manager feels they can be honest and provide constructive feedback. This alone will show upper management that you are sincere about your desire to improve.

So take a look back at last week, last month, and beyond. Do you see things mentioned above that you can take some time and create a plan of action? Go at this with the attitude that you are in complete control of your future, and your effectiveness. Get feedback from peers, subordinates, and upper management. And take a good look at your habits for time management. To be a successful leader, we need to be open to the opinions of others.

This Article has been viewed 27 times. (Not updated in real-time.)
No comments yet.
We want your comments! If you can read this, you don't have javascript enabled, so you can't use this comment system. Please enable javascript.