|
|
Like this article? PLEASE +1 it! |  |
|
Leaders Don't Allow Tasks to Take Time Away from People
Written by: Greg SchinkelArticle Overview: In the short term, focusing on tasks gets things done. In the medium to long term, the task-focused manager creates even more work for themselves because they allow the team to wither and become demotivated. This causes a drop in productivity and results begin to wane. It becomes a death spiral when the manager puts even more emphasis on tasks, hoping to turn things around.
 |
Free Download - Productivity Improvement from Employee Engagement, Process Improvement By Greg Schinkel |
Leaders Don't Allow Tasks to Take Time Away from People
With business demands and the amount of information increasing, it is tempting for managers to hunker down and spend most of their attention on tasks - dealing with customer/supplier issues, operational issues, answering email, endless meetings and the never ending to-do list.
By spending so much time on tasks, the leader tends to spend less time on the people side of their job. The people side includes explaining expectations, delegating, communicating face to face, providing coaching, training staff, giving performance feedback, and challenging, correcting and recognizing employees.
In the short term, focusing on tasks gets things done. Think of how much you get done on the day before leaving for vacation. In the medium to long term, the task-focused manager creates even more work for themselves because they allow the team to wither and become demotivated. This causes a drop in productivity and results begin to wane. It becomes a death spiral when the manager puts even more emphasis on tasks, hoping to turn things around.
Tips to Get a Better Balance Between Tasks and People
1. Monitor Where You Spend Your Time
For one week, take an inventory of your time usage. As you complete a task, deal with an issue or attend a meeting, ask yourself if someone else on your team could do that task if you were to delegate and coach them. Ask yourself if the task requires your personal attention or could be completed by someone else at a lower cost allowing you to focus on higher value tasks. Ask yourself if your time is being absorbed by activities caused because you did not spend enough time communicating expectations, training staff or addressing a problem sooner.
2. Grow the Capability and Capacity of Your Team
Take the tasks and opportunities you identified in step one and determine how to get your team to take ownership of that task. It may be a simple matter of asking an individual to take on the task, or it may require some clarification of expectations and coaching. View this time as an investment that will pay dividends when you no longer have to take valuable time to do it yourself.
3. Redirect Your Efforts
Without as many tasks competing for your attention, use your new found time to plan, set goals and develop people for the medium and long term. Be known as a developer of people and you will quickly rise to higher levels of leadership responsibility.
Spending more time on the people side of the leadership equation will raise business performance and get more accomplished with less stress and aggravation.
What is the best way to develop my sales skills?
Profitable Online Business Ideas and the Recession Part 2
Contribution
How can you make more of your customers open your emails?
Know your magic numbers
Article Tags: business demands, capability, coaching training, death spiral, endless meetings, job, operational issues, performance feedback, personal attention, productivity, simple matter, time usage
|
About the Author: Greg Schinkel RSS for Greg's articles - Visit Greg's website  Greg Schinkel and his team help entrepreneurs and business leaders improve profit and grow their business by providing management training, supervisor training, team leader training, lead hand training and executive coaching. The challenge for many successful organizations is that leadership becomes diluted from the senior leadership team to the front line leader. For organizations who choose to be union-free, Greg and his team equip leaders to maintain excellent employee relations while focusing on results. For unionized workplaces, the focus is how to effectively lead employees within the boundaries of the collective-agreement while achieving results. Greg Schinkel has reached more than half a million people through his writing, broadcasting, speaking, training and coaching. Greg has appeared on television, radio and in print more than 200 times for his leadership expertise. He is co-author of the best-selling book Employees Not Doing What You Expect, published in North America, India, Latin America and Korea. Since 1992, Greg has owned and operated Unique Training & Development Inc., a leading provider of supervisor training, management development, team leader training and lead hand training. His website is http://www.UniqueDevelopment.com Click here to visit Greg's website   Great Leaders Know the Value of Candid Feedback Want to Change Employee Behavior Change Yourself First Career Tips for High Achievers Who Are Feeling Stagnant Management actions that speak louder than words Finish Strong in 2009 and Set Up for Success in 2010 |
Related Forum Posts
Re: UPDATES: New Campaign! New Layout! New Ideas!
- We've also expanded the list for Contest and All-Time Leaders. It's great to now see David and Yinka on the All Time list and recognize the contributions they've made to the forums!
Re: Jan 11 Triple Crown Leaders
- It's interesting to see Martin Haworth as #3 on the Approved Articles list. Martin was one of our first super-active forum members and he's still on the list of the All Time Leaders at 694 (mphcoach)
GT Bulmer vs ideasuniversity
- Looking at the All-Time Leaders for the most forum posts we have 2 members who are approaching milestones.
As of April 8th:
- GT Bulmer has 1,928 posts and is 72 away from the 2,000 mark!
- ideasuniversity (Yinka) has 945 posts and is 55 away from the 1,000 mark!
Who do you think will hit their milestone first?
No B.S. Time Management
- A great book I read on Time Management is No B.S. Time Management for Entrepreneurs by Dan Kennedy.
Re: How to Promote Your Blog – The Definitive Guide to Promoting
- Great Post! Dont forget to put your blog in Anchor Text For SEO purposes for the keywords you want when getting backlinks (for example with article marketing)...Very important. You can conquer quite a few small Niches and get your site on the number 1 spot in Google!
Share this article with your friends. Fund someone's dream.
Leave a comment below or share on the left and you'll help support entrepreneurs in Africa through our partnership with Kiva. Over $50,000 raised and counting - Please keep sharing! Learn more.
by: Leanne Hoagland-Smith, Chicago Sales Coach
February 2012 Top 100 Leadership Experts to Follow on Twitter
Please Stop Calling it Coaching!
Measuring the Quality of Your Hires
The fine line 
Get advice & tips from famous business
owners, new articles by entrepreneur
experts, my latest website updates, &
special sneak peaks at what's to come!
Fear Factors in Small Business: Sales & Marketing
Download a template or see a lawyer?
Live To Work Or Work To Live?
Email us your ideas on how to make our
website more valuable! Thank you Sharon
from Toronto Salsa Lessons / Classes for
your suggestions to make the newsletter
look like the website and profile younger
entrepreneurs like Jennifer Lopez.