Then, multiply the number of unnecessary minutes by the number of people at each level, and annualize it.įor example, let's say you could save 20 minutes a day by setting up an email account that automatically sorts your email, removing yourself from an approval system that no longer needs you and delegating representation of your team in a weekly meeting. In my experience, administrative work only multiplies as you go down the corporate ladder, so double that wasted time for your direct reports, double their number for their direct reports, and so on. How many minutes of your day could be made more efficient by delegating, automating or removing unnecessary tasks? To determine this, assess how much of your time is spent on unimportant tasks and how that affects your team. By not removing unnecessary steps, approvals or clicks by multiple people, you are losing time and wasting valuable resources. Where can you streamline or remove unnecessary steps in processes? How can you remove bottlenecks and increase quality based on the true objectives at hand? I've found most processes involve more steps or levels of input than necessary in order to deliver high-quality results. Once you’ve clarified what is - and what is not - a priority, find other ways to optimize how you and your team spend your time every day. Identify unnecessary steps in your processes. Long story short, they are not spending as much time as they should on the most important things, which is why it's important they are clear on the bigger picture of the organization. In my experience, this lack of understanding can limit the pride they feel in their value to the company, as well as risk that their everyday decisions support the tactical direction they’ve been given instead of the organization's priorities. They will likely rattle off their own individual goals, but it’s unlikely they will be able to articulate how their individual goals support the overall department or corporate goals. Also, be sure every level below you has this same conversation with their direct reports.Īsk your team members (most senior to most junior) to articulate the top priorities of the company, your team and their role. Asking what they can remove from their plate is the most critical, and often forgotten discussion, that ensures they remove old tasks so they have plenty of time and energy to attain current goals. Ask them to identify activities that could be temporarily deprioritized to focus on urgent activities, what could be automated and what they think might not be needed at all anymore. Make it a regular practice to check in with how your team is doing. They might be working longer hours and burning themselves out from focusing on the wrong things, which could ultimately result in a lack of quality on the current top priorities. This means your people are spending time on old activities instead of current, forward-looking priorities. Often, leaders articulate current priorities but forget to ensure everyone understands they should stop working on (or reduce their focus on) items that are no longer important.
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