Do one thing that sucks, every day

One of the best habits I have ever cultivated is to do at least one thing each day that I would rather not do. The more difficult and unattractive, the better.

Find something for yourself, anything, that you know needs to get done, would rather not do and have been putting off. Do it. Now, repeat that behavior every day from now on.

You'll be amazed how easy this become over time. You'll marvel at your knowledge will increase and your personal borders expand. And, when you really need to do something really difficult, you will have created reserves of strength and energy to get the truly tough stuff done.

Speak softly and carry a big stick

As a leader, you “win” by default. You set the direction and tone. How you instruct others to operate, usually, is how they will operate. When determining if something went right or wrong is your call.

So don’t be a jerk.

There are few things in life more insufferable than the boss who needs to flex their, “bossness.” It never seems to motivate people to their best effort and productivity inevitably suffers. Treating staff with respect, as people, usually makes the way smoother.

Multi-tasking (is) for idiots

As a reformed multi-tasker I know how hard this might be to take. Mutli-tasking does not work. Does. Not Work. It dilutes your efforts and attention, turning it into questionable junk. It seems every role these days require we each wear a haberdashers rasher of hats, but just like wearing a hat, it makes sense to only wear ONE at a time.

Here's how I detoxed my office.
I made a little note behind my computer that only I can see. It says, "What did you accomplish today?" This helps to keep me in check when I start wandering and focused on creating results with tangible impact. Each Friday I review my tasks and make sure the list is complete and prioritized for the upcoming week.

Fend off time vampires.
Forward calls to voice mail and turn off email. These tools were created to catch missives while you are unavailable and not to make you salivate like Pavlov's dog - let them do their job - turn them off. While you're at it, find the alert sound for your email and turn that off too. Fending off vampires at your door is a bit trickier and one I'll blog about in an forthcoming post. For now, let folks know you're in the middle of something and will need a few minutes to get back with them. Be realistic as to when you expect to get to them. Don't say "five minutes" if it's more like an hour.

Prioritize your most important (highest value) tasks.
I keep a list of all my important tasks, the dates they are due, and who had requested them. I subsidize this list with additional tasks such as staff one-on-ones, presentations, monthly reporting, budgeting, and innovation ideas. With most commitments, I tend to want them complete one week in advance of "actually" being due. This gives me time to reflect, edit, and polish.

Offload!
At the start of each week I review the tasks I have set for the week - at least the one's I know about at this point. I consider which, if any, tasks would provide good growth opportunities for my staff. Things like reporting, research, and presentations are always prime candidates since they are tasks I know cold and can use to help others grow in their understanding of the operation. I'm a fan of this model and have found it develops trust and energizes those asked to expand thier duties. It also has the added bonus of providing insight into how the team views the organization.

Focus.
Once the task list is updated - note I don't ever remove items, they are still on my radar for tracking purposes - I settle into the first task and do not stop until I have it completed. I really wanted there to be a bigger secret, something grand and never before heard, but that's all there is to it.

What techniques do you use to keep yourself on task and on track?

What's in a Leader?

Leadership is a topic well written about from many angles and, with your patience, I'll endeavor to spew thoughts on from time to time.

In the last few years I have worked for many large companies in capacities ranging from technical support, management, creative, marketing, and senior management. I've seen some good leaders, a few great ones, and many, many, bad ones. In the interest of increasing my skill at writing and sharing what I have learned, here we are.

I hope you like what you find, and welcome any feedback you care to share.

Cheers,
Jt