​#5 – Know Where your Time Goes

Productivity Tip #4 was Ruthless Time Management, and an invitation to do some data generation around where you are really spending your time. If you have not yet completed this activity, do it now. You’ll need it for this week’s tip, which is to do some assessment on where your time is going.

In today’s busy world, it is very easy to get side-tracked with the “shiny red objects”. These often look very alluring – perhaps promising a quick return or getting things done more quickly. Many times however they become a “rabbit hole” taking you off-course and away from the most important things.

In most of the planning frameworks I have created for the PlanDoTrack and Coaching Business Builder Planners, I usually include a small box to be filled in with your Top 5 Goals for the month (or quarter). This is a prompt to consider what is most important for you at any given moment.

Where we spend our time should be aligned with our priorities, as well as our values and what’s important for us.

This week, take stock of how your time is being spent in service to your:
Immediate priorities – what is your top 5 for the month/quarter?
Values – What are the elements that are essential to you and your work? Is it excellence, quality, customer service? Note how much time you are spending in values-based activities.
Vision – What % of activities are being spent towards your big picture goals? Towards what is really important for you?

In the Teams365 series of Time Management workshops I share a Time Tracker resource. I’ll be offering this in 2019 as both an on-demand and live program for professionals of all levels. If you are interested in staying connected around all things planning and time management, do sign up for the PlanDoTrack newsletter list.

As you review your data, what are the adjustments you want to make in service to your priorities, values and vision?

Touchpoint with PlanDoTrack Workbook and Planner.
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If you have not yet completed your Quarter 1 Goals, refer to the Quarterly  Planning Tools. There you will be encouraged to note your high-level goals and your Top 5. Next, lay them out across the first 3 months of the year. After doing this, you may then want to flip into the monthly pages, and start noting the key activities in the monthly calendars. Start breaking down each activity with smaller steps, adding them to the Monthly To-Dos or the Month in  Focus sheet.

Enjoy,
​Jennifer

This week’s Sunday post takes us back to a 2014 post around focus when I shared a quote from Daniel Goleman’s book on Focus.

In it, he writes the following:
"For leaders to get results, they need all three kinds of focus. Inner focus attunes us to our intuitions, guiding values and better decisions. Other focus smooths out our connections to the people in our lives. an outer focus lets us navigate in the larger world. A leader tuned out of his internal world will be rudderless; one blind to the world of others will be clueless; those indifferent to the larger support within which they operate will be blindsided".  (Goleman: Focus, pp 48)
 
In today’s VUCA world, taking time to focus is critical. Planning is still key, even if it becomes more of a contingency planning process. As someone who led in very uncertain contexts in my former life with my work in the humanitarian sector, when things are complex, planning becomes even more important. Unlike a traditional a to b to c to d model, contingency planning takes us through that and also gets us thinking into a cubed (A3).

Best wishes,
Jennifer

Motivation is a critical topic for team leaders to consider on multiple levels. Against the backdrop of many organizations struggling with "employee engagement issues" motivation can be a core topic.

There are a number of levels at which we can consider the topic of motivation as team leaders including these three questions:
What  motivates each individual team member? Team members can be motivated by both internal and external factors. For some team members it may be pay that really gets them going, while others may be motivated by doing a good job. Spending time getting to know your team and what makes them perform at their best is a key part of stellar team leadership.

What does each team member find important? Our values shape what we deem as important. Whether our values are security, or adventure, these are the things that become our drivers and what we often seek out. Each team will also have its own set of values. As team leaders it can be important to have dialogue around values at two levels - the individual levels and the team level. See how value alignment works with motivation for each team member.

What are levels of trust and connection like on the team? Team motivation is often tied at a much deeper level to the amount of trust in a team and how connected people feel. We often look to the surface level of question what - What motivates each team member - without asking ourselves about the status of trust on the team. If trust levels are low, or if toxic behaviors are present, it's unlikely that team members are going to be motivated to bring their best to work each and every day.

AS you consider the topic of motivation on your team right now, what's important for you to consider? What issues need to be top of mind?

Have a  great Wednesday,
Jennifer

Jennifer Britton
Potentials Realized | Coaching Team Leaders
Team and Leadership Development | Coaching | Retreats
Join us in January for a Teams365 Coaching Group
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Phone: (416)996-8326