How to Use Time Management Skills to Demonstrate Effective Leadership

A few days ago I wrote a post entitled Do You Take Time Management in Business Seriously? It, to me, is a very important post because I see time as a non-negotiable asset in business and a the #1 partner in getting results.

So if it's essential in business, it's equally essential in effective leadership, which I discuss in the post A Little Know Coaching Method to Quickly Improve Your Results.

So, for this post, I have an interesting twist on how to see and use time.

Leadership Tip: Use time management to demonstrate and exercise leadership.

I am a huge fan of 2 philosophies / beliefs:

- everyone is a leader in some way

- leadership is not a title, it is a behavior

Using time - using time management skills - is a useful way to express and demonstrate these. In fact it is my observation and belief that time management is business management and is also a reflection of leadership effectiveness.  

Everything about business is done through time.

So I'd like to offer a few time management skills for managers and individuals that can not only help use time more effectively, but also demonstrate leadership. So as you read through the following, ask yourself, "How skilled am I at these?"

1 > Managing Interruptions

When I conducted the public workshop Organizational Strategies for the Overwhelmed (which I eventually turned into a book, which you can pick up on Amazon). I mention in the book that many managers have a "sort of open door" policy, which in many cases turns into "I'm available all the time for as long as you need me". Many managers have difficulty successfully and gracefully managing this. That difficulty turns into frustration, stress, loss productivity and sometimes even resentment. 

Thoughtfully managing interruptions is a great way to demonstrate and express leadership and there are several ways to do so. The key?... find one that is comfortable and that really works! Here is a simple approach and I've provided a link for an expanded explanation.

The key philosophy: Express a set time frame while giving permission for interaction. Partial open door means I have time for a quick conversation. So, you have to specifically define what that means 5 minutes, 10 minutes... you decide. The key is to express it clearly and plainly while keeping track. Give a nod to your watch, a clock on your desk or ask them to keep track.

When time is up, decide if you need to add more time or schedule a separate time and/or location to continue the discussion. Or, in some cases, the short conversation will have been enough time to adequately address the need.

Summary: Setting a time frame is leadership. You are the initiator - the leader of - how the time will go. As in any relationship, someone leads someone. In this specific case, are they leading you or are you leading them?

The 2nd part of that leadership is successfully holding and/or managing that time frame. How we work with time when interacting with others is an opportunity to establish boundaries. Don't pass it up!

2 > Time Mapping With Teams - An Element of Team Management

Time mapping is a time management strategy I identify as an essential time management skill. In fact, it is one of the first time management exercises I ask those I coach to do (included in our recently launched leadership-executive development opportunity - The 3 Disciplines).  

Time mapping is the act of using a week-at-a-glance to track the use of time and/or map out an ideal use of time. A week-at-a-glance can be seen and used as a time management grid. It involves strategic thinking in planning how and when to get results. It also builds time awareness which facilitates better decision-making (another foundational time management skill).

Since we typically don't work alone and teams are equally responsible for results, it would seem logical to coordinate to some degree how, collectively, things will get done to get desired results. 

Consider, therefore, if in expressing your weekly leadership and management, you include a short time mapping session with your team to lead strategic action through the lens of time.

Imagine the value to these discussions - not in anyway to micro-manage - but in a way to have strategic discussions (which I think is generally lacking within teams) to bring clarity to time sensitive priorities in the context of a fixed time frame - e.g. a day, a week, a month.

Summary: Here's the thing - time if fixed. You only have so much of it. So being aware of it and how it's used is fundamental to effective team management, operational and business management.

If you want to explore these time management concepts more - check out this short learning video (8 min. 52 secs) - part of our time management skills mini-courses 3 Time Management Skills You Absolutely Need . This page includes other time management tools for you or members of your team.

Final conclusion: Working with effective time management strategies is a meaningful way of expressing, demonstrating leadership ...and really is not an option to achieve needed results for better business outcomes! Recommendation - if these tips apply to you - give them a try and let me know how it goes! Or, if you have any questions or comments?.. feel free to email me - joann@manageglobal.solutions

Resources You'll Want to Consider

1. We know that time management is business management, so we've created a time management skills resource page - go here

2. Read The Effective Executive by the father of modern day management Peter Drucker. Several of my clients have given this book to their senior leadership team.

3. Read Results-Based Leadership - David Ulrich...and you're thinking what else is there?? You'd be surprised
The need for effective execution in leadership and management, which includes senior management, middle management (even C-suite leaders) is a big deal. So, we've decided to create a special development opportunity in this area. It's called The 3 Disciplines: How to Boost Your Executive Effectiveness in 60 Days. If you know you need to be more effective in achieving expected-needed results or you need to get better at strategic execution - learn more about this.

Also recent posts: 
Leadership Tip: Be An Executive | Little Known Coaching Method | Do You Take Time Management in Business Seriously?

Exciting News! // We're excited to launch our new digital arm - Manage Global. To compliment our global reach with our LinkedIn Learning courses, we're offering a compelling resource - The Smart Management Blueprint that can be accessed and implemented in any business environment, world-wide. It provides a step-by-step roadmap to simultaneously improve business and people management while developing competent managers. If you feel a need for improvement in any of these areas you'll want to learn more. Check it out here!

Do You Take Time Management in Business Seriously?

Prove it! In the comments below, (or Tweet me a reply @joanncorley) share an example of how you consistently demonstrate this - one time attempts don't count. How about for your team?

If you can't, read on.

One of my main passions is helping people get more of what they want! My life's work has been to do this and in recent years have been primarily focused on helping fellow business owners, entrepreneurs and founders.

In doing this, I've notice in the business advice- business coaching space that there are a lot of big innovations and ideas promoted. They have a loud voice and get a lot of attention, such as AI, big data - you know the big flashy, sexy stuff.

Yet, in my 22+ some years in business, here's what I've learned - it's the simple fundamentals of how we work - how we run a business/department/team - that have the most impact and yet seem to be the most overlooked. 

A related example is sports. Consider basketball, it's those who are exceptional at the fundamentals that have the best stats and create the most wins.

My goal in my consulting work is to keep redirecting the focus of my fellow business colleagues to the fundamentals and help them stay focused on becoming exceptional at the elements of running a business that matter most and have the most impact. Once those are solidified, then attention can be turned to the popular shiny objects of the day.

A Grossly Ignore Business Fundamental
One of the most essential elements to business success and in my view one that's not given the attention it needs is time management. I think folks are kind of numb to it. Perhaps because we've had eras of hyper-attention to it. I've been around long enough to observe attention ebb and flow around this topic over the years.

No matter what attention the popular market gives to it, it is still a crucial,  non-negotiable element of life and work - time is our life...lived in moments, minutes, weeks, months and years. This truth also makes it a non-negotiable element of business and therefore needs to have a central focus.

If it hasn't been for you, then I invite you today to change that! I am here to help! So let's start with this question: Do you need to practice better time management?

In truth, how you use time, work with time, the time management skills you do or don't develop impact your career, your pay, your leadership and management, your relationship with customers and collectively your profits. 

This suggests a hard core fact - time management in business is no joke! It shouldn't be treated as a casual after-thought or a "nice training seminar" to have when we can get to it or afford it. 

If you're not strategically managing time - you are wasting money and/or losing money!

And here's another time management crazy truth -  if you own and operate a small business or are a senior leader, poor time management can even impact the quality of your family relationships and your profits. Man...that is a double whammy!

Your relationship to time spills over into your relationship to others - at home and work.

So it's safe to say practicing good time management along with your employees' time management directly impacts your business success. In fact having very thoughtful, effective time management strategies that you create with your employees are an important element of team management.

Time is a Business Asset

Like money, time is an asset...and since this is true, we need to be keenly aware of the role it plays as a business partner. Ever considered time your business partner? And like any asset how we use it, leverage it, is crucial to the results we get - how effective we are.

There are tons of examples of how time impacts profits. Here are a few simple ones: 

• how much time it takes to respond to a complaint 
• how much time it takes for a customer to receive a product or refund, 
• how much time it takes to get to a live customer service person
• how much time it takes to fill out a form online (this is really an issue in recruiting),  
• Amazon's implementation of the 1 click feature (that simple customer service offering was all about saving time when ordering online...I've ordered more because of it).
• how much time it takes for a client to experience a meaningful result 
• and even how much time it takes for a team member to do their work

Time is a fundamental measuring stick to almost everything is business! And that's why

you can see that much overused phrase "time is money" ...is practically, very real.

Here's my conclusion. As it relates to business, I think we take time for granted. So if you're looking for ways to improve your business operations and profits. Consider your use of time. It's usually not the first business improvement idea a leader thinks of, yet it is one that can have the most significant impact.

Action Item: Do a time audit - starting with you and your day to day activities. Do you know how your time is spent as the key business leader of your business or department? You can do a time audit through time mapping. Take a week-at-a -glance sheet of paper and simply track in time blocks, what goes on in your day. - here's quick video briefing on the concept, plus a few more tips.

Time Management Resources

So, if you know and really want to practice better time management...become a time management ninja,  I recommend the following:

1. Follow this blog -- it's your free choice for practical how-tows... I'll be focusing on this topic for the next several posts, which I'll eventually turn into an online time management course.

2. If you need to improve both your time management and organizational skills - then pick up my book and/or audio book (on iTunes, Spotify and Amazon Music) Organizational Strategies for the Overwhelmed | If you've made it all the way through this post- email me and I'll send you a  complimentary pdf version: joann@manageglobal.solutions

Organizational Strategies for the Overwhelmed - how to manage your time, space, & priorities, to work smart, get results & be happy - Kindle or Book - Nook - Audio Book 

Other readings in the Kindles Shorts Section: Kindle & Nook:  Declutter Your Life From The Inside Out |  Your Life Through the Lens of Time 

3. If you are in the role of executive leadership, owner, founder, senior leader, department head, business unit leader, consider our senior management development opportunity. It's a 60 day coaching intensive called The 3 Disciplines: Boost Your Executive Effectiveness in 60 Days, based on the book The Effective Executive by Peter Drucker.

Oddly enough some folks, especially emerging executives or those new to a role with increased responsibilities need an execution coach (notice that wasn't "executive" but execution). Having one particularly during the ramp-up period is great way to quickly get a handle on getting good results, effectively managing and minimizing overwhelm as you're experiencing stretching your capacity and adapting to a new role and expectations. Learn more here.

4. Our Time Management Skills resource link => go here

A final note: Your effectiveness as a leader is the first of our 9 building blocks within our Effective Executive's Blueprint for Smart Management. It's a comprehensive road map to improve people management while refining operations and developing competent managers (in effect it's a great tool for managing the managers). Additionally, you could consider it the ultimate people skills for managers training. It is a very unique resource for effective management training and development. Read an introduction here.

Related articles: 

Leadership Tip: Boost Your Impact - Be An Executive!

What's A Little Known Coaching Method That Can Quickly & Dramatically Improve Your Results?

A Productivity Tip - Stop All Action - Huh?