Leaders Getting the Right Things Done

“I think my biggest challenge right now is time management.”
I ask this Leader, “how, exactly, are you spending your time?” “Well, I’m doing this and this and this . . .” he rattles off the list of meetings (that’s always a big culprit!), phone calls, studying of reports, returning emails, etc. that occupy every leader’s day. The “activity” list comes easily.
When I sense he’s starting to wind down, I ask “what are the most important things you need to be doing right now? What are the key results you need to achieve today . . . this week?”
This brings a pause, hesitation.
Isn’t this a great challenge for all of us? Maintaining a clear understanding of what results we need to be focused on — from our vantage point as Leader of the organization? The blizzard of ACTIVITY white’s out our perspective on RESULTS.

Every Leader a Thought Leader

A Sampling of Wall Street Journal Headlines from the past week . . .
* New Fears Jolt Credit Markets (March 6)
* Housing, Bank Troubles Deepen (March 7)
* Jobs Data Suggest U.S. Is in Recession (March 8)
* Grim Reaper of Jobs Stalks the Street (March 11)
How do these affect your thinking first thing in the morning . . . as you head in to lead your company?
“As a man thinketh in his heart, so is he.” — Jewish Proverb
Leaders must be intentional about their thought life. Everything they DO is traceable to how they THINK.

When Culture Crushes Strategy

I’ve noticed that corporate Strategy and corporate Culture often show up in separate conversations with Leaders.
In fact, focus on corporate strategy . . . execution . . . results often receives far greater attention than the corporate culture in which those results are generated.
Why do we have Strategic Planning off-sites, but we don’t have Culture Retreats? We have Performance Reviews and Strategic Reviews, but . . . what would a Culture Review look like? My guess is a 90:10 ratio between activity spent on strategy / performance review and culture. What’s the ratio at your company? When is the last time your executive team sat down to focus specifically on your corporate culture?
I’ve learned that Culture will eat Strategy for lunch every day of the week . . . unless they are intentionally linked.