Introduction
I recently started reading a book called “The Effective
Executive” which in a nutshell tries to guide the knowledge workers as executives
in an organization. We all have heard the adjective “Go getter”; also the
phrase “He gets the job DONE”. But the integral point of this book is the
attempt to guiding the executives to be effective by getting the RIGHT THINGS
done. In the following summary of the book, you will find how and why right
things need to be done.
Why Effective Executives
As the main focus of the book is on educating EFFECTIVE
executives, the question of why we need such people in the first place is
answered. To answer this question we need to distinguish a typical worker from
a knowledge worker. Knowledge workers are the educated workers whose abilities
are not mainly physical but rather what they can contribute using their mind. Also,
the motivation of a knowledge worker is thrived by the effectiveness of his
contribution to his work. There are many workers who can get things done right
but only effective knowledge worker who are potentially the effective
executives who are the ones that get the RIGHT things done. During the past 100
years, we have leant to be efficient by doing thing s right; what is more
important now is to be effective and get the right things done.
The Effectiveness
Intelligent, imagination, and knowledge are three essential
resources to be an executive but only effectiveness converts them into results.
Executives are not in an organization to operate same as other workers. They
own vital role in an organization to make executive decisions which define the
path of the organization. There are many distractions such as meetings, events,
other employee’s problems etc. for an executive’s effective time but one
(executive) will defiantly fritter himself away OPERATING if he let the flow of
events determine his work, his priorities, and his decisions. In that case, the
mentioned executive has wasted his knowledge, brilliance, and all abilities not
knowing of effectiveness he might have achieved.
The best part about effectiveness is that it is not a gift.
It is not a talent that one is born with. If it was so, the human’s civilization
would be completely invulnerable if not untenable. Effectiveness is a habit
which requires competence and balancing scales. Now that we know it can be learned,
questions such as the constitution of it, the aspects and lessons of it, and its
method of learning – concept through education, skill through apprentice, or
practicing elementary actions over and over will arise.
There are five practices for this habit of the mind that
have to be acquired for making effective executives. Those are knowing how to
effectively using your time, focusing on outward contribution to produce
expected results from executives, concentrating
on strengths and making decisions based on the strengths of self and the organization,
focusing on priorities and managing the scope, and finally, taking the time and
making effective decisions.
Time
Before starting to plan, before starting tasks, and before setting
any priorities an effective executive starts with his time. He starts learning
how his time is being used. Time, Time, Time….the fact that the time is being
mentioned in this book as the first factor to become effective, stresses on its
importance. Time is a limiting factor. ANY other resource is replaceable,
negotiable, and storable except time. The most important factor that distinguishes
an effective executive is tender loving care of time.
Identifying Where Time Goes
There are three steps to fully assess where one’s time is
being used. They are recording time, managing time, and consolidating time. Managers
tend to waste more time than others in an organization. Since their time is mainly
wasted by dealing with everyone’s problem, they are the first people who should
start managing their own time. In order to find out where one’s time goes, an
effective executive tends to ask three important questions from himself first and
then the people in his organization. The first question tires to identify and
eliminate the things that are only waste of time and do not add any
productivity. That question is “what would happen if this were not done at all?”
The answer immediately determines if the activity needs to be stopped or not. The
second question tends to allocate time to the people who can make the best use
of it. It is “which of the activities on my time log could be done by somebody
else just as well, if not better?” Let that sink in for moment... This does not
mean that one is trying to get rid of his own responsibility. This rather means
if a certain job could be done by somebody else so one does not have to
delegate but can really get to one’s own work, that is a major improvement in
effectiveness. And the last question which one should ask from others in his
organization is “What do I do that wastes your time without contributing to
your effectiveness?” This question must be asked with complete open-mindedness.
By identifying where time is being wasted, an effective executive
realizes that disposing large chunks of time for productivity instead of small
dribs and drabs of time, directing his and others’ focus on specialty and away
from opportunities, and centering his concentration on results and the outcome
(outside) away from his own vision for increasing performance is the first step
to approach maximum effectiveness.
Other Time-Wasters
There are other time wasters; over-staffing is one thing. If
the senior people of an organization spend more than small friction of their time
on problems of human relations, then the work force is certainly too large.
Another common time waster is mal-organization. Excessive meeting is one of the symptoms. Ideally, in an organization which is systematically perfect,
there are no meetings. Imagine any car manufacture where robots do almost all
the assemble; there is no meeting among robots and electric devices. And that
is because they all know what they are supposed to do. They have been orientated
once and they keep doing what they are supposed to. Yes, we are not robots, but
if all the required information for everyone’s responsibilities is available
and job descriptions are fully understood by job owners there would not be any
unnecessary meeting. Too many meetings indicate that responsibility is diffused
and that information is not addressed to the people who need it. But sometimes
meetings are needed for instance brainstorming sessions; but let’s not forget
that meetings must be exceptions not habits or rules. In that case, the meeting
needs to be purposefully directed; otherwise they become DANGER, not only a small
chunk of wasted time. And that last time waster is malfunction of information
which typically is the result of miscommunication.
Consolidating Discretionary Time
Effective executives begin with estimating how much
discretionary time they have on their own. Then they set aside continues time
in a proper amount. If later they realized there are matter which encroach their
reserved time, they scrutinize their record again for making the maximum
productivity out of their time by eliminating time wasters. This process should
always go on as an executive’s log must be updated in order to be effective.
To be continued...
To be continued...
