Often we think it’s about managing segments, little chunks of time measured in hours, half hours, quarter hours or less. Then our attempt at managing our time happens like this:

• We develop a volume of things that we need to do.
• We divide the day up into more and more little segments.
• We search for better positioned segments so we can shove more things into them.
• Meanwhile, we divide all the things to do into priorities.
• Then we put 70% of the priorities in the top priority list and try shoving those in the new little segments we just made.

What we’re really doing is going faster and faster and shoving more and more in. After all, almost everything in our life is a priority, isn’t it? Then for all our efforts we slide down the slippery slope or stress, overload and burnout.

We really ought to manage ourselves and ask, “What are the vital few things that are the truly important?” Those are the things I will get done. It’s not seven out of my list of ten important things to get done. It’s only two. Maybe it’s only one. Start and do those. The others will disappear, fade in significance or step in line to take their turn as one of the vital few later on.

Until we start acting on this for ourselves, we’ll be caught in this race. Somewhere we have to break the cycle and say, “This is where it stops.” Practicing that Law of the Vital Few will make us much more satisfied, thorough and successful.

Often we want to squeeze more and more productivity out of a given period of time, so we shove other things aside, things like renewal and relationships, fostered primarily through pausing. We continue to accumulate a greater volume of things, and our body is saying, “No, I can’t handle this.“ Stress, tiredness, soreness, muscle pain, dissatisfaction and a sense of a lack of well-being become our lot in life.

Adopt the practice of timely management from the Law of the Vital Few. Take your personal best 20% as your springboard for building the future. Where in the past did I have my most success? Identify that small amount of time and duplicate it for today as much as you can. Say, “These are the vital few things that I must do now, and while I am doing those I will delegate, hold to a more appropriate time or give away to others the things that I am not able to do.”

If you are dealing with volume of time commitments placed on you from the outside, then you have to work with the issues of boundaries as well .You may have to set boundaries around people imposing on your time. Let the voice mail get the telephone after certain hours and raise a personal standard that says, “I am not going to work after this hour.”  If it’s sheer volume you may need to look at ways to do it more efficiently. On the other hand you may need to frankly talk to others about helping you. They may be in positions of authority or control to make some changes for you.

It’s not just about time management but timely management of you.

This may be one of the most common areas that executives and leaders wish to work on during our coaching engagements. We live in a world that pushes almost every leader and professional into a crunch for time. There are solutions. They don’t always come easy. People often fear doing what is required thinking they will lose ground and fall behind. But once solutions are put in place and traction is being experienced, leaders find that in fact they can achieve more, do better and actually begin to thrive.

Really, you can read all you want about time management and you can feel the stress until the cows come home. But until you make a major decision to do something about it, you will only amass literature and dissatisfaction. Take action today.

Gary Wood
G.E. Wood and Associates
Personal Effectiveness Coaching for Leaders and Executives since 1998

As an accredited member of the International Coach Federation, we are required to go through a vigorous process of renewal application every three years. Meeting requirements ensures the coach will have continued to develop professionally over time. Here’s what the document says.

The International Coach Federation is honored to confer upon Gary Wood the designation of Professional Certified Coach. The designation is earned by demonstrating knowledge and proficient use of core coaching skills through a comprehensive application and exam process designed to ensure high standards for the coaching profession and the clients it serves.

Why is this all important?

• Proficiency
• High standards

And above all …

• Serving clients.

You May Not Have Seen It – or – Are Unable to Yet to Admit It

Don’t kid yourself. Unless you as the leader are on the ball, the perpetrator will have it well hidden from you. You’re being played as a sucker, because they know how to manipulate others and suck up to you when it’s needed. You may even find yourself defending them because they’ve done such a good job of concealing their alternate behavior from you.

Could it Be Possible … You Are That Bully?

(Okay. I know the many of you are saying … “But it’s the boss who is the bully.” You have a good point. Once estimate pegs more than 80% of bullies are bosses. Bosses … wake up. If this is you, if you have even an inkling it might be you, if there is a remote chance someone would even think that of you … consider this a wake-up call.)

Otherwise let’s keep speaking with the rest of you leaders, the 20% who aren’t on any sort of power trip.

Why It Goes Unaddressed

Sure, you’ve heard rumors and some complaints, but you don’t want the conflict. You don’t want to have to deal with crappy stuff. Maybe even some of your best people have tried to warn you but you’ve put it down to ‘personality conflict’ or a tiff between them and the perpetrator. Listen … sticking our heads in the sand will never be the answer to this demoralizing, team wrecking, business destroying, bullying violence.

So terms and comments like this get used instead:

• She’s just a difficult person
• He had a tough upbringing
• Sometimes she’s disrespectful
• You need to take him with a grain of sand
• It’s just a personality conflict
• Every so often she does exhibit some poor conduct
• It will probably get better after awhile

Mamby pamby! She or he is a bully.

What is Workplace Bullying?

The Workplace Bullying Institute defines bullying as follows:

Workplace bullying is repeated, health-harming mistreatment of one or more persons (the targets) by one or more perpetrators that takes one or more of the following forms:

• Verbal abuse
• Offensive conduct/behaviors (including nonverbal) which are threatening, humiliating, or intimidating
• Work interference — sabotage — which prevents work from getting done

Workplace Bullying…

• Is driven by perpetrators’ need to control the targeted individual(s).
• Is initiated by bullies who choose their targets, timing, location, and methods.
• Escalates to involve others who side with the bully, either voluntarily through coercion.
• Undermines legitimate business interests when bullies’ personal agendas take precedence over work itself.
• Is akin to domestic violence at work, where the abuser is on the payroll.

Is it Your Responsibility?

Yes.

Who needs to have their antenna up and detect this behavior?… You … the leader.

That’s what leadership is all about. You may wish it didn’t occur on your watch. Of course you don’t want to have to deal with it. Who would? But the responsibility for leadership rests on your shoulders and you have to address it.

You can’t sweep it away because of all the legal workplace hoops you may have to deal with. Of course this type of person will probably raise chaos and report you to authorities for some kind of employer misdeeds. That’s what they do. But you have to act because it’s the right thing to do. Your people – the people you are supposed to be leading – are getting hurt. Your business or ministry is suffering even if you don’t see it. There is ALWAYS a price to pay. It will probably start with you losing some of your best people. They won’t stay in that type of environment.

What to Do About Workplace Bullying

1. Dedicate a Couple of Hours to Reading and Making Notes

Do your homework. There is an abundance of quality research and insight out there. I’m no expert. I’m just waving the flag. Get on your computer and read about it. Just search ‘workplace bullying’ and you’ll be given all the information you need to take action. Study the laws that govern your workplace. Know what you can and can’t do. Call governing authorities to understand how to proceed. Ignorance is not bliss. It is complicity.

2. Connect the Dots

Start remembering back. What’s been going on in your workplace? What complaints have you heard? What thoughts, feelings and inklings of your own have you pushed down? What’s the pattern? And what excuses and behaviors have the person named put forward. How might they be giving you a snow job?

3. Determine to Act

Unless you are willing to do what it will take to stop this bullying of your employees, nothing will change. You will be complicit in allowing it to continue right under your nose. Take ownership. Step up. Make a commitment to restore a workplace that your people are proud to work in.

4. Create a Plan

Think this through. Given all you’ve learned, how will you go about structuring discipline? How will you deal with what the perpetrator may unleash against you or others? Being prepared ahead of time allows you to be in control of whatever happens. Who needs to be involved? Who is needed to give you support?

5. Take Action

This may be the highest and best of leadership … to do what is right and what needs to be done. Whatever that is, carry your part out with compassion and firmness. Don’t fly off the handle. Remain calm. Push forward regardless of the push back.

In Summary

So much more could be said on this topic. I hope this has served to raise your consciousness to a very real problem. Back in the 90’s researchers were telling us that this century would likely have physical and emotional violence as a very real workplace issue. People are frustrated. They have all sorts of baggage and social ineptness they have never dealt with.  (I don’t want to sound simplistic here. There are all sorts of reasons for bullying.) But the point is they take their ‘stuff’ out on others.

This is where you can take your stand. What’s the right answer to any form of workplace bullying?  …  NO!

You don’t know what you have the capacity for until you reach for it. You don’t know what you are capable of achieving until you must or you choose to reach for it.

We all know people, who against great odds have done some pretty incredible things. Sometimes adversity created a context that meant they either reached for ‘the impossible’ or collapsed. Other times it was a conviction that they could reach some hitherto unattainable goal that drove them forward.

The point is, you just don’t know what you are capable of.

There are, however, some things we do know.

• You are capable of more than you think you are. If you are able to think, “I could never do it” then you are capable of thinking, “Maybe I can go a lot farther toward doing it than I previously thought.”
• If you don’t even try it is a ‘for sure’ that you won’t achieve it. In fact if you don’t try, you won’t achieve anything.
• If you do try, you will have the satisfaction, whether or not you ever achieve it, of having given it your best shot.
• Every small step achieved builds confidence. It provides proof that you can if you try. One step builds on another and leads to success.

When you achieve it, who knows what else you might actually be capable of. Maybe way, way beyond your previously small thinking.

So, what are you capable of? You don’t know. And I don’t know. But I can predict that you are capable of achieving far more than you currently think you can.

Great leaders know so well what they will say ‘yes’ to, that saying ‘no’ generally comes easy.

The not-to-do list allows us to create boundaries around out time and talents. It allows us to avoid being spread too thin. It prevents us from potentially slipping into attitudes that devalue others and depreciate ourselves.

Those leaders, executives, owners and professionals around us who we admire for really achieving good things, do not get involved in everything. They understand their limits and work within them. Whether they operate a successful business from home or run an international empire from the office with the commanding view, these men and women have clear boundaries.

Sometimes they tick people off when they say ‘no’ to a request. But they get things done … the right things … things that move causes, projects and programs forward. They appear to have a great ability to focus on those priorities that will best advance the ball.

“Today many are harming themselves through the temptation to do more than their limits will allow. Walking, running, and ambition are not necessarily unhealthy. Too much, however, is universally unhealthy. Overload is like that. The problem is not with the ‘load’. The problem is with the ‘over’. Richard Swenson, Margin, 1992, NavPress

We live surrounded by the cult-of-busy. People busily doing things, but achieving little, happy to have the bragging rights of being ‘too busy’ under the guise of complaining about work.

The leader ought not to live like this. Yes, you may be busy. Let’s not kid ourselves. There is a lot on your plate. But your busy is directed and engaged. It is focused on priorities. It takes its energy from attending to those things which are most important and which when achieved will make the biggest impact.

Creating the First Draft of Your Not-to-Do List

• Answer this question, ‘What matters?”. Check last weeks to-do list against this question. Were you working on what matters? Did you achieve those few things that would make the biggest difference? Or did your time get chewed up with items of lesser importance? Or worse yet, frittered away?
• Write down those things which you are not prepared to do or which are simply not effective things for you to be doing. As a leader there are some key activities that you should be spending considerable time on and others that are just not the best use of your time.
• Think about how willing you are to allow other people to do what needs to be done. Can you let them take the responsibility? Possibly fail to get it as well done as you think you can do it? Deal with the consequences? In other words before you make your not-to-do list, think about your attitudes toward others and just how important you find yourself to be.
• Write the not-to-do list.

Possible Not-to-Do’s. I will not:

• Say yes to every request for my presence at some function.
• Agree to sit on as many boards.
• Take my work home on these nights of the week.
• Allow that particular area to run understaffed, causing pressure on me.
• Agree to as many conference calls.
• OK so many meetings that require my involvement.
• Agree to speak as often in places that involve considerable travel.
• Allow interruptions during my most productive hours.
• Agree to hear a problem without the person providing a potential solution.
• Stay any longer in an area than 10 years.
• Try to troubleshoot technical problems myself.
• Accept the invitation to long lunches.

You get the idea. See how you do with your list. And then execute it with intention and focus. As you work with your personal coach, develop your personal not-to-do list. Let it guide you as you become increasingly more effective.

As an executive coach working with leaders, it is important for me to assist my clients in being more effective and productive. The not-to-do list is a simple lifelong tool, probably underestimated, that can make a big difference in seeing real, measurable improvement in that very same effectiveness and productivity.

I think it is worth reviewing their observations in 2010 and I certainly recommend reading what they have written. As we are called on to provide effective leadership, each one of these traits is worth striving for.

1.    The Commitment Not to Lead a Little Life: If there is one trait that leaders share throughout history, it is the unshakeable commitment to live a life that matters.

2.    Vision: To lead others, leaders must have a destination in mind and be absolutely commited to making a vision come true.

3.    Voice: Armed with commitment and vision, leaders need a voice – a manner of communicating that others not only hear but also wish to follow.

4.    Heart: Leaders with heart are capable of inspiring others through example, whether this takes the form of incredible work ethic or a contagious passion.

5.    Team Building: To leave a lasting legacy many leaders build organizations that are not dependent on one person, but are self-sustaining entities in which people and processes work toward common goals.

6.    Backbone: There are times when mere talent and insight are not enough, and leaders have to summon unimaginable strength and internal fortitude to persist in the face of overwhelming obstacles.

7.    Listening: Real listening empowers leaders as it conveys the information needed to make wise decisions.

8.    Emotional Intelligence: By understanding and managing not only one’s own emotions, but also those of other people, leaders earn deserved respect, trust and confidence.

9.    Diversity: History, business and nature teach us that the surest way to survive – and thrive- over the long run is to foster diversity of thought, behavior and approach. Tomorrow’s leaders must master diversity.

Like me, you probably don’t feel like you are the epitome of all nine of these characteristics. But, along with many other traits that the leaders you respect show, these nine can challenge us to reach up and forward to be the best that we can be.

As my coaching clients have spent time with the questions and their answers, good decisions have been made.

Here are a ten of the fourteen questions. If you are being asked to assume responsibility, whether it be a promotion, new company or new leadership role, take the time to sit down with a piece of paper and a pen and write out your answers. That way you will be very intentional and capture your thoughts concisely. This will enable you to make a better decision about your future.

1. Am I really committed to this cause and the people it represents? If you are not, don’t put yourself or them through the pain. Those who take ownership will put their all into it and stand a far better chance of success.
2. Do I have confidence in the senior leadership and feel I can support them? If any doubt lingers about the senior leadership, deal with the questions now. You will have a lot to do with them and your current inkling may end up your lengthy headache … or worse.
3. Can I make the time for this leadership responsibility without creating excessive stress? In reality, how much time do you think this will take? Knowing your own style, will you allow it to consume your time to an unhealthy degree. Preemptive action may be necessary.
4. Do I and my spouse agree about this decision? If you don’t … don’t. If you enjoy a good relationship with your spouse, they are your first line of defense in making a good decision. They know you, care about what happens to you and how it will impact the family.
5. Leadership issues take discernment. Am I a discerning person and can I improve that competency? Some leadership positions require real wisdom. There are tricky issues to deal with. If that’s not you, then say no. If you are willing to grow in this area, then move forward humbly and open to learn.
6. Do I have any hidden agenda that could sabotage meetings or others on my team? If being in this role is all about you, your agenda may be the unspoken problem in every meeting. Deal with that stuff now, not later. Be up front about truth.
7. Are there any continuing things in my life that if people knew about them would disqualify me from serving? Get those things cleaned up now. Don’t live with guilt and the fear of being ‘found out’. Failures are not final. Learning from them is priceless.
8. Am I a good team player or do I generally want my own way? The organization is headed for trouble with a dictator at the helm. If you see yourself as the great ruler, get down off your pedestal. Learn how to work with the team. Provide great leadership and you will garner the respect that can dramatically move things forward.
9. How have I been prepared for this task? Experience, skills, interests? Simple question with big importance. What has brought you to this point? The sum total of who you are will determine where you go and how you lead the organization or project forward.
10. To what degree am I willing to change so that I can make a more effective contribution? There’s the rub. Are you willing to change? Those who are intentional about looking hard at themselves and making real personal and professional change, move forward. Others languish at the level of their refusal to do what’s needed to reach up to their potential.

We all have a sense that corporate and government wheels grind slowly as decision making winds its way through successive layers of bureaucracy. But the small business person can make a decision quickly. Do they? Often yes. But many times no.

Often hanging on to a dream, a method, a boast, an image or a feeling, the small business entrepreneur waits too long to respond quickly to reality and implement needed changes. The result is that they either run out of time or money and suffer the consequences.

Odd, isn’t it that these business leaders can make a lightning fast decision and turn their small enterprise in a new direction. They have the ability to change quickly. All they need to do is say the word. But they hesitate.

Hesitation isn’t because of outside influences so much as it is because of those internal ‘struggles’ to hang on to that dream, that way of doing things, the pride that made the boast, the image that has been put out into family and community and the feeling of control that the unfamiliar path would challenge.

Those who run successful small businesses make considered but quick decisions. They don’t let internal self-talk and feelings get in the way of taking the actions that are needed to move successfully forward.

Don’t wait too long to make needed adjustments. Be honest with yourself about what is holding you back from doing what you know needs to be done. Then decide and move fast.

Running a small business isn’t for the faint of heart. But to those who can make the decisions that need to be made, it can be a very successful, lucrative and totally fulfilling enterprise.

It may be that in the public mind there is a skewed image of an executive now days. Since the economic meltdown a year ago the public has only heard about executives milking their companies and their clients for millions,  flying about in their fancy jets and rewarding themselves for getting the public purse to pay for their incompetence.

The public has seen the high and mighty fall from their ponzied perch and they are sick of the image.

But … there is a much different world out there. It’s a world of ordinary men and women who lead businesses and nonprofits, who go to work like everyone else, working hard to make the wheels of business go round or devoting themselves to see that people get services and assistance in times of greatest need.

Not every executive is a greedy man or woman. Yes, they may be paid well compared to many. It goes with the job and it’s not right or wrong, good or bad. In the world of business it just is. Not every leader is self-absorbed and ready to sell their soul for money or power. No, the vast majority of men and women, executives and leaders, work from a position of integrity and ethic. They support their family and their community. They put in the hours to make things happen.

Let’s give a thumbs up for these men and women who keep significant causes, projects and programs moving forward. These everyday executives are the unsung heroes who stand right alongside the everyday worker … both significant in their different but necessary roles.

I know whereof I speak. I get to work with the everyday executive … every day. And I can tell you they are made of the same stuff as you and me. They carry major responsibilities and heavy workloads. Contrary to popular belief, they do care about those who report to them. They care a lot.

So, as you meet the everyday executive today in the parking lot or in the grocery aisle or at the gas pump, nod and say hello. They’ve probably had one demanding day and they sure could use a smile.

Perceptively they note that,  contrary to popular perception, your job as a manager is not to motivate your staff. Motivation is internal. Instead, you are responsible for creating an environment in which people can motivate themselves.

Perhaps one of their suggestions will be of benefit to you or spawn a new approach unique to your organization. I quote and have adapted from their original article.

Operate in an Atmosphere of Open Communication – More companies adhere to the philosophy of minimal communication rather than “open book” management. In other words, senior management often assumes that the less employees know, the better.

This doesn’t make for a motivating environment. A few simple suggestions:

• Research your organization and its competition on an Internet. Get that competitive blood flowing. Have them improve the public presentation of your company.
• Get listed in Who’s Who in Finance and Industry or Ward’s Business Directory. Seeing your name lets you know you matter and are a contributor.

Yes, it is simple, but build on it.

Recognize People with Potential - Nothing says confidence and trust like putting someone in a position of leadership with the ability to make decisions.

• Placing future leaders into management development roles. This is not only good for the individual but for the long term success of the company.
• Give your employees more responsibility to test their leadership skill. Some will rise to the challenge. Others may not. But you will be developing capacity all the while.
  

Respect and recognition are two proven ways to retain employees.

Support External Training Workshops – People are much more inclined to feel like they’re making a positive contribution to your organization if they’re in a learning curve.  Challenge them to challenge themselves.

• Training organizations offer countless one-and two-day offsite workshops. The cost is minimal. Two or three seminars per employee per year may add very little to your overhead budget and allow employees a one-day “sabbatical” to reflect on their careers as well as to reinvent themselves in light of your company’s changing needs.
  

There may be a very good return on investment from providing relevant, practical workshop opportunities. I would suggest having some accountability attached to it. Develop a method whereby the employee provides feedback after the workshop on how the learning will be best integrated into their day to day work or translated into department, team or company practice.

Welcome Opinion -  By empowering people, you telling them that they matter to you and your business. By listening to them, they may even have some good ideas about how to make things smoother or more profitable.

Listen to employees. Listening to people may not always be easy, but it can be very beneficial. And when those gems appear that empower the individual and strengthen the organization, you will understand that the effort put into inviting comment and listening to it was more than worth it.