If you change your tactics and adopt an organized approach, you’ll find yourself not only getting more things done but getting the right things done.
Many business leaders feel like they come close to drowning every day in a never-ending flood of emails, paperwork, meetings, and last-minute demands. Just trying to keep up with it all keeps them from the projects they’re supposed to be leading to move their companies forward.
If you’re one who’s just treading water at your overloaded desk, it’s time to change your approach by adopting four basic skills: goal setting, strategic planning, delegating tasks to others, and taking action. As simple as that.
Easier said than done? Maybe, if you’re used to “just getting through the pile” with a haphazard approach to your task list, or you jump on unexpected situations without considering if they really are urgent. But if you change your tactics and adopt an organized approach, I think you’ll find yourself not only getting more things done but getting the right things done.
“Being organized” is just another way of saying you’re on top of everything, which determines much of your success—from big issues like forecasting company growth and executing company initiatives to small tasks like calling someone who can help you get the big jobs done.
Here’s how I stay on top of what needs to get accomplished at my company:
1. SMART GOAL SETTING
I don’t know many people in business who don’t have goals, but not everyone sets them effectively. They’re vague and poorly defined, with no sense of why they matter or how to measure them to determine success. But I think the worst mistake is just having too many goals. Three is the perfect number. Fewer than that lacks challenge, and more than that is little more than a “to do” list.
Be sure to give each goal a series of actionable items—we call them “lead measures” because they lead you to the ultimate goal. These are the actions you take daily and make yourself and staff accountable for.
2. STRATEGIC PLANNING
Every company needs a strategic plan—a vision that declares where they want to be in one year, three years, five years, and beyond. What we do at UFG each year is a one-year and a three-year plan. If it’s over one year, it goes on the three-year list and we do it all over again.
The plan should include the goals (and lead measures) that support the strategic plan and make it happen. We do both goal setting and strategic planning each year, spending weeks with our entire staff and figuring out what needs to be delegated and to whom. Our success is predicated on our franchisees being successful, so without clear direction, training, owner manuals, ongoing support, and other organizational tools, it doesn’t happen.
Individuals need strategic planning, too. Where do you want to be in one year, three years, five years, and beyond? What goals do you need to set in order to get there?
3. DELEGATING
I’m not a detail person, so I’ve hired people who excel at it to help keep me on track. If you’re more of a big-picture thinker, this is essential.
But even if you’re good at keeping up with the details, you still need to delegate some of the work to others. First, you simply can’t do everything, no matter how hard you try. Also, there may be others on your team who are better at certain projects than you are. They deserve a chance to show leadership, and the company will probably benefit when you utilize them.
4. TAKING ACTION
It’s possible to be too organized; some people spend all their time planning and outlining every little thing when they should go out and do it. This is a sign of fear, or at least uncertainty. The more you plan because you “just want everything to be perfect,” the longer you can delay putting yourself and your work out front for everyone to see—and judge.
If you’re not sure how to begin, here are three suggestions:
- Clear the clutter. Get everything off your desk except the project you’re working on now; piles of paperwork are a nagging reminder of everything you have to do. Focus on one thing at a time, and don’t keep everything else where it’s a constant distraction.
- Hire a great assistant. I’ve done that several times over the years and they’ve kept me on track when I might have veered off. My current assistant, Jen, has been with me for 14 years and we know each other very well. This helps me immensely.
- Get an app or software program to help prioritize your tasks.
Do all or any of these things—whatever you need to do to control your day instead of letting your day control you.