On Time and On Budget – Managing Team Time

Uncategorized • Tags: , , , , , , , ,

One of your many duties as a manager is to step back once in a while and take a look at the big picture so you can get a sense of where you, your department or organization needs to be in 9, 12 or 18 months. You need to be able to position yourself to take advantage of any new trends or opportunities that are just starting to appear on the horizon.

Managers are agents of change – who make the kinds of changes needed to adapt to changing conditions. You need to be able to manage your time and your teams time so you have the time to do all those things that you are going to be held accountable for. (That’s why you need to learn how to delegate effectively). You need to learn how to give up control to get control.

This is my second posting in a series of blogs designed to give you some valuable insight into how to manage your time and your teams time more effectively. We all have just 168 hours in the course of a week. No more – or no less. You need to learn how to be both effective and efficient to excel managing in the 21st Century. (The productivity equation will never change. You need to minimize the input and maximize the output)

Last week I wrote about Setting Goals and Establishing Priorities (The Key to Time Management is Life Management) – This weeks blog posting is all about Planning and Scheduling – the next two categories on my list of seven that seem to take up most of a manager’s time.

Worth Remembering …

“I love deadlines. I especially like the whooshing sound they make as they go flying by.” – Douglas Adams

Planning: You’ve no doubt heard it a thousand times – “Fail to plan – plan to fail”. But it’s absolutely true. Committing to a goal and then writing a plan to accomplish that goal demonstrates to yourself and others that you are serious about achieving that goal. Dreams are goals with deadlines. Goals and planning go hand in hand. Without a good plan – goals are almost impossible to achieve. (Wishing and hoping won’t make it so. Achieving your goals is a planned event) The goal is the end result  – the plan is the little steps you’re going to take to get there. (If you are travelling from Ottawa to Florida and end up in Quebec City. You know you have the wrong plan)

  • Flexibility is the key to successful planning. Allow time for unexpected things like interruptions, equipment breakdowns and crises. How ever long you think it’s going to take you – times that number by two.
  • If you need something completed by Friday and you know it’s going to take at least two days to complete it – then you better be having someone start it on Tuesday afternoon or first thing Wednesday morning.
  • Make sure your time line and time estimates are do-able. You can be efficient and not effective and vise-versa. Efficient because you got it done but not effective because you took too long to do it – or you had to do it again because it wasn’t done right the first time.
  • You should be arriving at work having already gone over your plan, set your daily priorities and be ready to take on the day.

Scheduling: So far you have decided on a goal – created a written plan listing all the steps that need be done to achieve that goal – and now you’re ready to schedule a start and completed by time for each step of your plan. Think baby steps. I do this – then I do that – and eventually I will have accomplished all I set out to do. (Anyone can eat an elephant – one bite at a time)

To be on time and on budget requires a schedule. You can’t leave anything to chance. Some managers schedule too much – but most managers don’t schedule enough. You need to schedule enough staff on the retail floor to take advantage of selling opportunities – especially at peak times. No sense having staff there when the customers aren’t. You need to schedule a production run to fill customer orders. Scheduling is critical to the overall success of any department or organization. If you don’t like to do the scheduling – delegate it – but review it – and insure everyone follows it.

  • Planning is deciding “What” to do. Scheduling is deciding “When” to do it.
  • When ever you commit anything to writing (Goals and Plans) make sure you also write down how long you think it’s going to take you or someone else to do it – and when you need it done by. Due dates or due times create a sense of urgency. It motivates us to get in gear. (That’s Scheduling 101)
  • When ever you complete a task and before you start a new one ask yourself – “What is the best use of my time right now?” You may find that you have a spare moment between meetings or before you need to return a clients phone call. Look at your To-Do List and pick an item that can be done in the amount of “Free” time you have between tasks (I use this one a lot. You may be surprised when you find out how much you can accomplish in 5, 10 or 20 minutes)
  • Identify your “Prime Time”. The time of the day when you are at your very best. When you seem to be firing on all cylinders. We all have a “Prime Time” but not everyone’s is at the same time. My prime time is between 4:30 and 10:00 am. Once I hit 3:00 pm – I know I’m done for the day. I may check my emails after 3:00 pm but if they require an answer that is going to take some thought – I won’t tackle it until the next morning. I know from experience that I’ll end up redoing it anyways so I might as well save the time. Schedule those tasks that are going to take all of your energy – when you have to be at your most creative self – or when you need to make a critical decision – in your “Prime Time”.  (Next week – Interruptions and Meetings)

The Key to Time Management is Life Management 2

Uncategorized • Tags: , , , ,

We all face the daily dilemma of having too much to do and not enough time to do it. The problem isn’t that you have too much to do – the problem is you are trying to do too much. We all have 168 hours in the course of a week – no more – or no less. Time in not adaptable – people are. Time isn’t out of control – we are. The secret to good time management is good self-management. And the secret to good self-management are good habits. We are adults and we can develop new habits. (Stop doing one thing and start doing another. And the more that you do it – the more it becomes you)

Worth Remembering …

“Besides the noble are of getting things done, there is the noble art of leaving things undone. The wisdom of life consists of eliminating the non-essentials. – Chinese Proverb.

I’ve put a list of categories together that are proven time wasters. Some of them may carry more weight with you then others. These 7 categories – Goal Setting, Establishing Priorities, Effective Planning, Scheduling for Results, Handling Interruptions, Successful Meetings, Paperwork, Procrastination and Managing Team Time – seem to be the ones that occupy a manager’s time more than others. Over the next few weeks we’ll discuss each one in more detail and post some time saver tips to help you can gain some valuable insight into how to manage your time and your teams time more effectively. (Remember – a good habit is a good result. We are adults and we can learn new habits)

This weeks categories: Goal Setting and Establishing Priorities.

Goal Setting: The way you spend your time defines who you are.  Managing your personal and professional life means deciding on what kind of life you want to lead and what kind of manager you want to be. Setting goals and developing a plan to achieve those goals is the key to being a good manager. You not only need to set goals for yourself but you also need to set goals for the people who work with you.

  • Determine your daily, weekly and monthly goals. What do you want to accomplish? Write them down on your To-Do List.
  • Read your list at least 3 times a day. Once in the morning before leaving the house – after lunch – and at the end of your day just before you nod off to sleep. You need to wake up in the morning with a sense of urgency. You should be going into work thinking about what you need to accomplish today –  Who is going to do it – And by what time you expect it to be done.
  • Don’t try to keep your goals in your head. Writing them down helps to de-clutter your brain. If you’ve written it down you won’t forget it. By writing it down you’ve made a personal contract with yourself. You’ve made a personal committment to accomplish that goal. I always felt a great sense of accomplishment when I got to stroke an item off my To-Do List after completing it.

Establishing Priorities: Think carefully about what priorities mean to you and about how you decide what is really important. Remember – you will never have enough time in the course of your day, week or month to accomplish everything on your To-Do List. But, you do have the time to decide what absolutely needs to be accomplished today. Try this simple but effective A-B-C System to help you decide when to do what on your list.  An “A” item is an urgent item and it needs your immediate attention because it must be accomplished today.  Anything that needs to be completed in 2 or 3 days out should be labelled a “B’ item. Anything else on your list should be labelled a “C” item. Never, never, ever work on a “B” item until all your “A” items have been accomplished for that day. If all the of your “A” items have been completed on your list – then and only then can you can start working on a “B’ item.  There are a number of systems you can use to help you prioritize what needs to be done and when – the key is being disciplined enough to stick to your system.

Learn to play the what-if game to help you decide which “A” item you are going to start working on first. Look at all the “A” items on your list and ask yourself – If I don’t do this one – what’s the worst thing that would happen?   Start on the one that is going to effect you the most. (Next week – Planning and Scheduling)

Enduring Principals – Your Personal Code of Conduct 4

Uncategorized • Tags: , , , , ,

What does it say about the World we live in when we question the honesty and integrity of the people in leadership positions – both in government and the clergy? Public trust in our lawyers, teachers, and financial institutions are at an all time low.

Worth Remembering …

“Leaders walk their talk; in true leaders there is no gap between the theories they espouse and their practice” – Warren Bennis

What is ethical or unethical behaviour? Ethics is best described as a set of moral principles or values that defines what is considered right or wrong behaviour for a person or a group. Some people suggest that there is a difference between business ethics and personal ethics. But, to my way of thinking – I believe you’re either ethical or you’re not. There is only one kind of ethics. You either believe in being honest – to act with integrity – to be guided by a strong sense of values and fair play – or not. How can you behave one way at work and then behave a different way at home and still be true to  yourself – still be true to your own personal code of conduct – your own set of enduring principles?

The first course I ever taught at Algonquin College’s School of Business was a “Business Ethics” course developed by one of my hero’s Professor Ron Knowles. Professor Knowles developed the course for first year business students in our SME program (Small, Medium, Enterprises). One of the neat things about that course was I got to work with first year business students to help them develop their own personal code of conduct – their own ethical decision making model that they could use to help them make the right decision when faced with an ethical dilemma. (An ethical dilemma is when you’re confronted with a situation where there is no clear right or wrong answer. No clear right or wrong way to behave.)

Worth Remembering …

“Be more concerned with your character then your reputation. Your character is what you really are, while your reputation is what others think you are.” – Dale Carnegie

What do you hold to be true? What are your enduring principles? What are you not willing to compromise – no matter the situation – no matter the personal price you’ll have to pay?What series of questions do you ask yourself to solve your ethical dilemmas? If you where to sit down and script your personal code of conduct what kinds of things would you include? Do you believe in honestly? Acting with integrity? Do you believe in treating people fairly, consistently and with respect?

I’ve been put into positions in the past where I had to compromise my own set of values. I’ve done some things that in hindsight I should have handled differently because I ended up not being true to myself. What I did was not illegal but, it still bothers me to this day. And because I’m still bothered by it – I know it was the wrong thing to do. I should have acted differently no matter the cost. When we behave in ways that conflict with our own judgment of what is right, we lose face in ourselves. You may not always make the right decision – regardless of what ethical decision-making model you use. But you will make a decision that you can live with no matter the outcome because you where true to yourself.

Worth Remembering …

“The depths and strength of a human character are defined by its moral reserves. People reveal themselves completely only when they are thrown out of customary conditions of their life, for only then do they have to fall back on their reserves.” – Leon Trotsky

The Josephson Institute of Ethics, a non-profit training and consulting organization based in Los Angeles California advocates principled decision-making based on six common values they call “The Six Pillars of Character”. The Institute contends that these six pillars are the basis of ethically defensible decisions and the foundation of well-lived lives.

  1. Trustworthiness: Honesty, integrity, reliability and loyalty
  2. Respect: Civility, courtesy, tolerance, acceptance
  3. Responsibility: Accountability, pursuit of excellence, self-restraint
  4. Fairness: Process, impartiality, equity
  5. Caring: Empathy, compassion, a sense of duty
  6. Good Citizenship: A sense of fair play, giving back, giving a hand up.

What we say to ourselves and our actions must be congruent. The words and our behaviour must match. There are people whom we trust and those we do not. And if we ask ourselves the reason why – most likely it’s because we trust congruency and are suspicious of incongruence. Results of a Society for Human Resources Management survey found that only 27% of the employees feel that their organizations leadership was ethical. At the end of the day – you have to be true to yourself. The bottom line is – If you have to ask yourself if you acted ethically or not? – you already know the answer. 

You Don’t Have to Like Them to Work With Them 1

Uncategorized • Tags: , , , , , , ,

Team work sucks! Let me repeat that – Team work sucks! Team work sucks because most often everyone on the team doesn’t pull their own weight. I’ll try not to be too cynical here – but you can’t expect to throw people together – call them a team – and have them perform without teaching them what it means to be part of a team – And what it takes to be a good team player.

Worth Remembering …

“Coming together is a beginning – Keeping together is progress – Working together is success” – Henry Ford

Making teams work is a challenging and difficult process. Nonetheless, you can increase the likelihood that your team will succeed in accomplishing individual and team goals by carefully managing the setting of team goals and priorities, how team members are selected, trained and compensated.

Team goals may vary depending on the role that teams play in your organization. Problem solving teams, self-managed teams, cross functional teams, work teams and virtual teams. Teams can be brought together, based on each team members area of expertise, to work on a specific project and once that project is completed the team is disbanded. (Project Managers work in this type of environment)

Some organizations will call it a team – but what they really want is for people to get along with each other. They aren’t really a team in the truest sense of the word. Everyone on the team needs to work independently from one another but they must coordinate their efforts with other team members to accomplish the overall team objective. I refer to this kind of team as a work team. I suspect this is the type of team in most organizations – so to keep this article in context – I will discuss work teams and how to manage them effectively.

Creating High Performance Work Teams 

The most popular team building model – forming, storming, norming and performing that is taught in most business schools was first introduced by Bruce Tuckman in 1965. Tuckman PhD. was Director of the Academic Learning Lab at The Ohio State University. His model depicts the four stages of growth that all high performing teams must go through. As you read through the description of each stage – think about how you would apply it in your department or organization when forming a team or introducing a new team member.

Worth Remembering …

“Teams are now the primary force of organizations. They are worth cultivating at their core. There core is the mind of each team member.” – Nancy Kline

Forming: Forming is the initial stage of team development. This is the getting-acquainted stage in which team members meet each other, form initial impressions, and try to get a sense of what it would be like to be part of the work team. Managers can help this process along by planning meet-and-greets or social events outside of the traditional workplace. Be sure to personally introduce any new team member to each member of the team. I would tack up a picture of the new team member on our information board to help break the ice.

Storming: Conflicts and disagreements are inevitable as team members start to work together. Different personalities and work styles will clash. (They don’t have to like each other but they DO need to get along with each other) That’s why soft-skills – a person’s ability to communicate and interact effectively with people – is critical to team success. Hire people who like being around people. (Loaners and hermits need not apply)

Norming: This is the third stage in creating high performance teams. This is when the dust starts to settle down and the “real” work begins. Be sure to post your policies and procedures. Team members need to know what is expected of them. They need to know what “Normal” behaviour is. (There is no common sense. The only thing common about common sense is it’s not very common amongst most people.) Team members aren’t born knowing how to be a good team member. Like any skill – it’s a learned behaviour.  It’s your responsibility to teach them how to be a good team player. As the team leader, supervisor or manager you need to “call” people out who are not maintaining those standards. Never allow team standards to slip.

Performing: This is the final stage of team development. This is where you get to walk around and monitor their performance. People do what you inspect – not what you expect. You must manage by walking around. Get out of your office – roll up your sleeves now and again. Lead by example. Be prepared to work one-on-one with someone who is struggling. Your role is to give each team member the tools and training they’ll need to be able to perform their role – and then to get out of their way and let them do it. (Resist the urge to Micro-Manage)

Worth Remembering …

“You can’t play the game without all the players on the court … The team must be assembled quickly and play as a unit almost from the start. Failure to recruit strong, cohesive team players means a losing season.” – Ann Winblad

Work teams create a synergy that results in a level of performance greater than any one person’s performance. (Together Everyone Achieves More) Norms shape team behaviour by imposing group standards. Managers need to monitor individual performance so that “Social Loafers” can’t go un-detected. And most importantly – managers can improve work team performance through selecting individuals based on their soft-skills and not just their technical ability.