The Springboard Spotlight!
Weekly Newsletter
#24 - The most important skill to master to be an effective leader!
Welcome and thank you for subscribing to The Springboard Spotlight!
This is my weekly newsletter which aims to shine a spotlight on a different aspect of leadership every Wednesday morning. So you can read it when you're having breakfast!
This week, the spotlight is on The most important skill to master to be an effective leader!
This edition is sponsored by Kajabi - the one stop shop solution for entrepreneurs hoping to start an online business. Use my affiliate link below to receive an increased trial period from 14 to 30 days - only for Springboard Spotlight readers!
Whether you're an aspiring or seasoned entrepreneur, Kajabi is the platform to help you monetize your skills & knowledge. It's an all-in-one platform that lets you transform your expertise into income through online courses, membership sites, community building, and personalized coaching tools.
#24 - The most important skill to master to be an effective leader! - Read this if you are short of time
Bottom Line Up Front (BLUF)
The ability to prioritise your workload is the number one skill that you need to develop in the 21st century.
The volume of work is increasing, not decreasing. Also the relentless expectation to do more with less will not go away, as Companies continually seek to strive to achieve a lean organisation.
In order to be effective, you need a simple system. Be ruthless and disciplined in its execution.
This will allow you to focus in on the stuff that really does need to be done, and ignore the noise.
#24 - The most important skill to master to be an effective leader! - Read the full article from here if you have time
What?
Looking at workplace trends, it's painfully obvious that we are well and truly caught in the crosshairs of the endless drive to 'do more with less'.
And it shows no sign of relenting. This means we are continually bombarded with a never-ending stream of work which is infinite in nature. This in turn has the effect of depressing morale like nothing before.
The onus on us all then, is to put a system in place which seeks to sort out the wheat from the chaff. The stuff that truly adds value, from that which is busywork, or nugatory.
The skill that will make effective leaders stand out from the rest is the ability to be hard-nosed in terms of prioritisation. This will allow you to drive forward on the tasks that will provide the maximum return for effort expended.
Why?
It is impossible to do everything. In fact, why should you do everything? You only have a limited amount of time in the day, limited energy and a limited period in which you are able to have an effect in your organisation and hopefully be noticed for the impact you are having.
But the tendency is not to rock the boat, to not be seen as a blocker, to absorb as much as you can. To show that you have the bandwidth to cope with an endless flow of tasking towards you.
And ultimately we all know where this ends up. Long hours, often at the expense of our nearest and dearest which eventually leads to burn out!
Not good!
How?
So how do we avoid this?
To start with you need to become adept at determining what needs to be done, what ought to be done, and identifying that which absolutely doesn't.
But how do we do this?
1. Part of the solution to this conundrum is...saying No! Beware of others 'sloping' tasks onto you or your area. Growing a hard skin and being assertive is essential. Be too nice, and people tend to take advantage of someone with a good nature. The trick is to bare your teeth every now and then to recalibrate them! The message soon gets out.
2. Assuming the task does fall into your world, does it align with the strategic direction of the company? Remember, if it doesn't then you have to ask why it is being done at all. Alignment against strategic objectives is a sure-fire way of ensuring your (or your team's time) is managed correctly. Anything else is noise.
3. Does the task absolutely have to be done by you personally if it falls within the area that you are responsible for? Remember, you are not the be all and end all. Don't set yourself up as a singular funnel or bottleneck. Look at your team members and decide who is best placed to deal with it.
4. If it does have to be done by you, schedule it according to the urgency of completion. Remember, what gets scheduled gets done!
5. Be prepared to triage further tasks that come in under paragraph 4 above on a daily basis to ensure the right things are being done. It is ok to shuffle your schedule regularly.
6. If there is a simultaneous conflict between two or more tasks of a similar priority, tell your boss what you have decided to focus on. If they disagree, this is their opportunity to veto/override your decision.
7. Be robust and exercise discipline in the implementation of the above!
8. This will go a long way to making your life more bearable, and building a feeling that you are actually making a difference.
Summary
I hope that you enjoyed reading this week's newsletter.
In an increasing busy world of work, the ability to be ruthless in terms of prioritisation is key.
You won't be able to do everything, despite what you want or wish!
So focus in on the right stuff that will add the most impact, and forget the rest!
This will ensure you are effective as a leader.
Have a great week!
Whenever you're ready, here's how I can help you:
1. Resources - Reading is an essential component to developing your own authentic leadership style. Check out my resources page for really inspiring books which I have found invaluable within my own leadership journey. I will also include other products that I use here which improve my own effectiveness as a leader,
2. Coach Station - Singular issue 60 minute coaching sessions,
3. Coach Journey - Bespoke coaching packages of 6 or 12 sessions for transformative change,
4. Schedule Optimiser - Online course allowing you to take back control of your diary.
5. Day Zero to 90 - Online course launching soon which provides you with a handrail during your first 90 days in a new role. Register your interest today!
