#15 - Implementing a Productivity System!
8 Jun 24
To be an effective leader you must be able to lead yourself appropriately.
This entails having a 'system' which enables you to control your workload through prioritisation and delegation.
This will allow you to become effective (not efficient) at getting things done which aligns with the wider Business Objectives.
By implementing a system to work FOR you, you will ensure that there is traceability in everything your department does from the top down to each individual in your team.
Each team member can then see how their effort fits in to the bigger picture which increases their commitment and ownership.
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#15 - Implementing a Productivity System!
What?
Before you can truly be a leader and lead others, it makes sense to ensure that you are able to take charge of yourself.
If you don't, those you aspire to lead will pick up on it and you will quickly lose credibility. Alignment between your team members will be lost. Chaos will ensue and everyone will go off on a tangent, doing what they think they should do rather than what is absolutely necessary.
Having a productivity system in place will help you retain focus, and allow you to prioritise appropriately.
A repeatable system should be light touch, and be designed to assist you rather than to hinder you.
Don't let the system be the end in itself, rather it should be a means to an end.
Why?
During a typical working day/week, you will be exposed to a myriad of information and competing priorities.
Your brain is only able to store and track around 7 pieces of information before it gets confused, things get forgotten and the thread of why you are doing what you are doing becomes shrouded and lost.
Leadership is all about prioritising, delegating and tracking everything that needs doing to allow you to keep everyone aligned and on track to reaching the end goal.
How?
Before you instigate a system to control your workload, one requirement must always be at the forefront of your mind.
Keep it simple and avoid complexity!
Here is a foolproof method to ensure that you remain on track:
- Ensure your department aligns with the Business Objectives. These are set at the start of each year. Company Business Objectives are typically broad but you must be able to dovetail your departmental outputs in to them. Anything outside of these objectives is superfluous and requires justification as to why it is being pursued. Once you have done this, progress should be reviewed every Quarter to ensure you remain on track. Use a colour tracking system (BRAG) - Blue = Complete, Red = Behind schedule and no plan to regain, Amber = Behind schedule but there is a plan, Green = On schedule and running to plan,
- From these, derive personal objectives for each member of your team. These should form part of your personnel appraisal reports for each person. Again, their individual performance is then reviewed against them at the half-yearly point, and then at the end of the reporting year. Everyone is then clear what their role is in the bigger picture and how they are contributing,
- Hold a weekly team meeting to review commitments across the department, take reports from key individuals and apply leadership oversight/direction and guidance on a short term basis. Position this meeting such that it feeds into the next meeting up (i.e. with your line manager to ensure latency of information, and that you keep the meeting overhead as low as possible). Some people will run this meeting at the end of the week. I prefer to hold it first thing Monday morning (or whenever your working week starts). This ensures everyone is refreshed and aligned and knows where the main effort will be focussed for that particular week. One hour in length maximum and mandatory attendance. Ensure it always happens even when you are not there.
A typical agenda for such a meeting is:
- Safety issues - Safety of personnel always comes first and foremost,
- Two week look ahead in everyone's schedules - This ensures you know what everyone's commitments are and that all meetings are covered by someone in the case of absences etc. It also gives wider visibility for everyone else on what is going on from a bigger picture perspective,
- Governance - Is all of your Governance and Documentation in date and current? Are there any regulatory or legislatory documents that you need to demonstrate that you are compliant with?
- Manpower Issues - Discuss leavers and joiners, absences, vacant positions, performance issues etc,
- Issues - What are the current top 5 hot issues that need to be dealt with? Let your team outline them, propose a course of action and you, as the leader can use the power of veto as required. Are there any issues with your customers? Are you meeting your financial milestones/KPIs? What is likely to become an issue in the future? Can any action be taken now to avert or mitigate it?
- Training - What training is required to keep everyone in date for their roles, do you have any skills gaps, does your team require upskilling to support new business etc, what Business mandatory training needs to be completed? Has everyone completed it?
- Sustainability - What resources do you require to keep 'the train set running around the track'? Are you short of equipment? Is any equipment defective and stopping you from delivering outputs? What are your basic raw materiels and do you have sufficient amounts?
- AOB - Any Other Business not covered by the sections above?
PLOD/PLOT and PLOW - Each day, you must personally plan your time. Either at the end of the working day, or at the start of the day first thing schedule a meeting with yourself. If you do it before you go home as part of a shutdown routine, call it PLOT (Plan of Tomorrow. If you do it at the start of the day call it PLOD (Plan of the Day). No longer than 30 minutes in duration, view your commitments for the day, and the tasks you want to complete. Set no more than 5 tasks per day as this is achievable. Any more than 5 is unachievable so always try to set yourself up for success. Ring-fence this activity.
Once per week, typically on a Thursday afternoon, schedule in an hour long PLOW (Plan of the Week). This is a two week lookahead/planning exercise. It is done on a Thursday to give you a contingency day should you need to make any changes. Schedule the following activities:
- Meetings. Avoid back to back to back meetings. You need to breathe. If this is unavoidable, plan 'transit time' between them,
- Time for specific tasks in advance of the dates for which you know they are due. Avoid running 'To Do' lists. Use your schedule to plan your tasks as you receive the task. What gets scheduled gets done!
- Schedule deadlines for tasks that you have given to others, as well as regular check-ins with them in case they need direction and guidance,
- Plan your travel arrangements,
- Plan 'whitespace' in your schedule. This is thinking time. Don't schedule every minute of each day with others, leaders need to think about stuff,
- Schedule specific times to check emails. Once before lunch, once late afternoon before you conduct PLOT or depart work. Do not let your Inbox drive your day. These are other people's priorities, not necessarily yours! Unless the email is from your boss!).
- Plan to take a lunch!
- Ring-fence this activity.
Some final points...learn to accept these five things:
- You will never complete all tasks so don't work longer hours. Work expands to fill the hours available,
- Use the 80/20 Pareto principle and focus in on the 20% of tasks that will give you the 80% return,
- Use the power of compounding to complete complex tasks over time, little and often,
- Set your work start and work finish times and keep to those times. Your loved ones will thank you!
- Always carry a notebook to capture data, and use it as a temporary storage area before you plug what you have captured into your system above!
- Other people's priorities are not necessarily your priorities,
- Learn to say No!
- Think effectiveness not efficiency. You can be efficient at covering the wrong stuff. Maximising effectiveness is what it's all about!
Adopt the routine above and iterate it to ensure it continues to work FOR you and not against you!
In Summary
I hope that you enjoyed reading this newsletter and that it has given you food for thought.
Having a system that you can ultimately rely on allows you to breathe easy as a leader. Learn to trust your system, but iterate it regularly to ensure that it continues to meet your needs. If you do this you will be able to keep track of the complexity associated with your role, ensure alignment and avoid chaos!
Have a great week!
Whenever you're ready, here's how I can help you:
- Resources - Reading is an essential component to developing your own authentic leadership style. Check out my resources page for really inspiring books which I have found invaluable within my own leadership journey,
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- Schedule Optimiser - Online course allowing you to take back control of your diary.
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