Last year, there were many people I know and love who were just hanging on by their fingernails to get through the year. It's not healthy, just hanging on for holidays... Better Self-Leadership is needed.
Hanging out for holidays means a sharp increase in stress, an admission that the current pace is unsustainable and that process is not suitable.
Lets just nail down a few facts of life before we continue:
1. People over 35 are struggling to keep up with the pace of life, work and love... that's statistically evidenced at Universities throughout the world...
2. That pace is accelerating, it's going to make being fifty, productive and competitive in any front line management role extremely challenging.
3. A lot of people will need a lot of holidays. Governments the world over are legislating to give people more time off, not to increase quality of life, but to decrease stress based worker health cost.
4. Most people in their work life believe that hammering their head against a wall and making a lot of blood, sweat, pain and stress is productive.
My Advice that's NOT Nice
1. Reduce the working hours of all employees while demanding increased results
2. Start the year at the same pace as you finished it... don't drag your feet for the first weeks of 2011.
3. Make your 100% focus in 2011 "how to increase the pace at which I get things done"
4. Don't use the spare time created from increased pace to add other low priority tasks to your list. In fact use the Do, Dump, Delegate principle to determine what you do in your work.
5. Make your 100% barometer of your Self_leadership at work, the amount of energy you have at the end of your work day, and how much more energy you have for your family at the end of the day.
6. Know this without blemish.... A person who overworks is avoiding someone, something, or some situation at home....
7. There are seven areas of life, each with a vision. Forget one area and it will come and bite you eventually.....
Now the Theory
When organisations ask for change, or relationships need change, the call to action is often interpreted as to change something about the way we go about things, our attitude or behaviour. Sometimes this is right on the mark but rarely.
When anyone asks us to change, like when an organisation changes it is a request to be more productive and this means, in simple language "do more in less time."
However, what we professional change agents find are pre agreed contracts of pace, that often become the fundamentals around which change happens. In other words, lots can change but many people don't translate this into what it means for them.
So, time becomes the sacrificial lamb. We try to cram more and more and more into the day - by either running at a pace that we can do as long as Christmas break is coming or, we work longer and longer hours.
Neither of those result in change.
They both result in poor productivity, poor health, poor decisions, less growth and potential company restructure again within 12 months.
When we ask for change we ask "give me more in less time"
Now if we eliminate running at panic pace as unhealthy and unsustainable, we're left with either long hours which means "I'll give you the time for free" so it looks like more productive but really it's just the old pace with less transparency. People doing more in more hours is only great if you get paid overtime....
So, the first step is culling....
what can I cull? Here's how to find out. Start work everyday at 10.00am and finish at 2.00pm and get everything do that you need to get done and don't leave the desk or office one second after 2.00pm. BEst to use the three step principle Do, Dump, Delegate...
Second step Get a Life
Many people extend their work day to avoid what's left after work. A family they don't like, a home that's got no privacy, a jealous partner or exercise... At 2.00pm no mobile (split your work mobile number from your private one and have two phones) turn the work phone off at 2.00pm.... No laptop at home... get an ipad for short quick mail checks... and get a life.... things to do that you love to do from 2.00pm to 10.00pm... including reading, exercise, health, friends and family.
Third - Look before you Leap
Speed doesn't achieve much, instinct is usually wrong, first impressions are always shallow and wisdom takes a moment. Hesitate. Learn to start things, then leave them to be finished later. Split tasks into gather, analyse, contemplate, do.
Four - Manage Up
Meetings, talking, discussions, committees are always dominated by the lowest common denominators.... cull meeting times, be strong in leadership by asking those who are unproductive to leave. Set the pace, the standards and achieve the results. If people take your requirement to turn up in the meeting personally, good, they need it because they're probably not functioning in the healthiest space at home either.
