Leaders: Are you a time-strapped leader or are you efficient?
Nearly everyone who has ever held a Brandon Long Marketing Consultant position discovers that there are two options. One, he can spend a lot of energy and time in a chaotic manner with questionable effects and consequences. Two, he can use acquired skills and knowledge to be more effective. Many people assume that someone who seems busy is working hard to help his group. Effectiveness is not dependent on how much time you spend, but how well you use your time.
1. Busy leaders can be seen as the dog who chases his tail. This is true in a lot of cases. The saying goes that even though both successful and unsuccessful people have the same 24 hours each day, the difference lies in how they use that time. He will not be a positive or impactful leader if he refuses to or is unable to learn, gain essential experience, develop meaningful goals, plan and take timely action. Although some may believe they don’t have the time, the truth is that most people waste a lot of time if they don’t plan properly. A large percentage of people in leadership are not successful despite putting in a lot of effort and energy. This is usually due to poor development and/or sticking to a forward-moving direction.
2. Over three decades I have trained, developed, consulted, and qualified over a thousand leaders in hundreds of organizations. I’ve learned that being busy, or expend a lot of energy, is not always a direct correlation to actually getting things done. The impact of a leader on a group is determined by his ideas, motivation, and direction. Leadership training should be a focus on how to use time effectively. This includes learning the basics and creating an action plan that addresses all the needs of the group, as well as the sustainability and relevance.
Do not be deceived by the time it takes to lead. Effectiveness should be the guiding principle.