“Regardless of who you are or what you have been, you can be what you want to be.” – W. Clement Stone
Do you feel like you are constantly busy and yet not being productive? Do you feel like you work hard, but at the end of the day feel defeated? Tom was always busy at work, but it seemed that the completion of projects was slow. He also sensed the frustration of his staff. Tom kept working hard but to no avail. But then he learned a leadership secret that totally turned around his own productivity and also led to the greater satisfaction of his staff.
The leadership secret that Tom learned is that: Before you can lead others well, you first must lead yourself well. Tom learned that he was not putting his time in the right place and that a key to his success was changing his habits.
Own Your Part
As leaders, we always need to evaluate ourselves as a part of the bigger picture. Tom could blame the inefficiency of his office on a lot of things, but real change started to happen when he identified himself as part of the problem. By taking time to evaluate himself, he realized that he was getting a lot of good things done, but not the best things done. His biggest obstacle was that he did not give himself time to plan, and therefore spent his whole day reacting instead of being proactive with the most important.
Do you take time to evaluate yourself and then own how you can be part of the solution?
Identify Your Habit Cycle
Tom knew he needed to plan, but felt helpless in knowing how to make himself stop to plan. He would feel an anxiety about getting his mounting list of tasks done, so he would jump into whatever came first, and then feel relief when he accomplished it. Tom was in a habit cycle. Seeing, hearing or thinking of things needing to be done along with the anxiety was his trigger, his accomplishing a task was the behavioral reaction, and the feeling of relief his reward. Yes, he was getting things done, but not necessarily the best things done.
Do you have a behavior you need to change? What tends to trigger that behavior? What reward do you get from that behavior?
Commit to Something New
Tom noticed that he had thoughts of things to get done as soon as he woke up (his trigger). His typical response was to race to get ready and into work. Instead, he committed to a new behavior. Instead of rushing, first thing in the morning he chose to sit in his favorite chair. Instead of doing, he started to write down all of the things that needed to be done and to prioritize according to a bigger plan. He then began to feel relief (his reward) in having accomplished a daily plan for his day.
What is a new behavior that could replace your old behavior? Are you ready to commit to it?
Employ the Help of Others
Tom also used the accountability of others to help keep him on track. Every Monday he had a standing meeting with a member of his executive team. They would review the top priorities for the organization and their own objectives for accomplishing those during the week. This kept Tom accountable to what was most important and also involved his team in the process. Tom also uses a coach that helps him regularly evaluate himself, asses how he can develop his leadership and implement a plan.
Who are other people who can help you be the best you can be?
Enjoy the Benefits
As Tom started his day with a plan, it became part of a momentum of other new choices and habits that helped him to be more proactive, choose to do the most important, and be more productive. This also allowed his staff to do their jobs more efficiently. Tom was no longer jumping in and doing a task that was part of their job or asking them to do something last minute. They felt greater satisfaction at work and also learned to prioritize by Tom’s model. The whole organization benefited by being more productive and has grown to a new level of influence with its mission.
Leaders must first lead themselves well. Include evaluations of yourself when assessing situations. Be proactive in your leadership development. Where are there new areas of potential for you to become?