Jun
15
Photo by eugene
"Time is limited, so I better wake up every morning fresh and know that I have just one chance to live this particular day right, and to string my days together into a life of action, and purpose." – Lance Armstrong
The survey of nearly 1,200 managers and directors by the UK-based Chartered Management Institute has found more than eight out of 10 struggle to prioritise their work, with conflicting demands pulling them in all directions. Effective time management begins with vision and purpose….
It’s astonishing how many leaders fail to use their time effectively. Research by Heike Bruch and Sumantra Ghoshal discussed in the Harvard Business Review article “Beware the Busy Manager” found that “a mere 10% of managers spend their time in a committed, purposeful and reflective manner” . In their article they research found that focus and energy are critical elements required for purposeful action. They describe these two elements as follows:
“Think of focus as concentrated attention – the ability to zero in on a goal and see the task through to completion. Focused managers aren’t in reactive mode; they choose not to respond immediately to every issue that comes their way or get sidetracked from their goals by distractions like e-mail, meetings, setbacks, and unforeseen demands. Because they have a clear understanding of what they want to accomplish, they carefully weigh their options before selecting a course of action….. Think of the second characteristic – energy – as the vigor that is fueled by intense personal commitment. Energy is what pushes managers to go the extra mile when tackling heavy workloads and meeting tight deadlines.”
Effective managers and leaders have high levels of focus and energy which the article refers to as purposeful managers. As illustrated in the energy – focus matrix illustrated below, describing the four types of managers.
- How focused are you? Do you have a clear vision and goal?
- How much energy do you have? Have you made a personal commitment to the goal?
- Where are you located on the energy – focus matrix?
- Are you making effective use of your time…..?
Technorati Tags: Energy, Focus, Time Management, Management, Leadership, GTD, Business, Lifehacks, Lifehack, HBR, Lance Armstrong, Execution, Quote
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2 Responses to “Time is limited…… Are you spending it on purpose?”
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With so much of gadgets (blackberry …) and other services (chat…), the focus is definitely lacking. Hitting perfectly on the point.
George, I agree with your take on doing things on purpose, intentionally and with effort. When it comes to effective leadership, those who lead deliberately (or on purpose) succeed far more often. I’ve written on this topic extensively on my blog.
For a great resource (blog + podcasts) for how to live your life on purpose, I recommend: http://www.liveonpurposeradio.com/radio/. -Michael