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1-Page Summary of The Effective Executive
Overview
Most management guides focus on how to manage other people. However, you can’t control what others do. Instead, the most effective managers lead by example and consistently model what they want from their colleagues and staff.
A common misconception is that the most successful executives are born with leadership skills, but this isn’t necessarily true. These leaders learned how to be effective and you can, too.
In this summary, you will learn how to use the following techniques as building blocks for your development: Managing time wisely. You must know exactly how much time you have and where it gets wasted. Focusing on results rather than tasks. Instead of focusing on what needs to be done, focus on what really matters most in order to get the best results now and in the future. Using strengths instead of compensating for weaknesses. True excellence is reached when you use your strengths as building blocks instead of trying to balance out your weaknesses. Prioritizing steps rather than multitasking. Do one thing at a time and give it all of your attention before moving onto something else that’s equally important but requires less concentration or effort from you right now (i.e., don’t juggle multiple things). Making strategic decisions by making important decisions that can change the overall direction of your business with a plan for implementing them along with an evaluation process so that they’re effective over longer periods of time (not just short-term goals that only focus on immediate outcomes).
Effectiveness Can Be Learned
Throughout history, creative geniuses have often failed to produce actual outcomes. They may be smart and imaginative, but they don’t always work hard or follow a plan. In fact, it’s the art of effectiveness that produces results.
Executives are different from each other. They have their own strengths, weaknesses, abilities and knowledge bases. However, they also share several skills that help them to be more effective in their jobs. These include managing time effectively by focusing on results rather than tasks; using strengths instead of compensating for weaknesses; prioritizing rather than multitasking; and making strategic decisions instead of just doing things right.
Know Thy Time
When you make a plan for your day, you probably list all the things that need to get done. That’s not very effective. The most successful people are more strategic about how they use their time and organize it in the most efficient way possible. They first figure out how much time they have available, track where they spend it, and then consolidate that extra time into one block of time per week or month to do high-impact tasks such as work on longer projects or meet with clients.
People are bad at estimating time, so they don’t manage their time effectively. For example, one company chairman thought he spent a third of his time on managing the senior employees, another on emailing with prime clients and the last on community activities.
However, when he analyzed his time usage for six weeks, he found that most of it was spent making sure that orders were filled correctly. He realized that this wasn’t necessary because a lower-level employee could do the job just as well.
In order to manage your time effectively, you must first identify what activities waste it. You can do this by looking at things that don’t need to be done or that could be done more effectively by others. Once you have a list of these tasks, delegate them and focus on the important stuff. Also, ask your colleagues if there are any tasks they dislike doing because they take up too much of their time.
