Information overload affects all of us, all the time. Not a day goes by where you don’t have at least a fleeting thought about how you’re going to get everything done.
The good news is that you’re not alone. The bad news is that you still have to get everything done. As a leader, you’re torn in even more directions, in part because of the expectations and demands of your employees.
One way to approach this is to decide that every day you will do two or three things consistently, regardless of what else is on the day’s agenda. For example, you might review your goals and deadlines daily to make sure that the important things are top of mind.
Next, you may identify your top three priorities every morning and schedule enough time to complete them.
Finally, you may decide to check in with each of your direct reports daily. By doing this, you will stay on top of their concerns and can head off potential problems.
Notice that these three examples aren’t particularly exciting. But, if you do them every day, you’ll experience the magic of constancy, and accomplish these important outcomes:
Your goals will always be top of mind;
You’ll always know your most important daily priorities;
You’ll know what your staff is focused on (and can guide them to make adjustments as appropriate);
Your staff will feel that you’re interested and engaged in what they’re doing;
You will have a much clearer overall snapshot of what is going on in your department.
Constancy isn’t dramatic, but the results can be spectacular. Pick two or three things that you can do every day and feel free to share your results with me.
Have a great week!
