Leadership is about people. But doesn?t it seem like most of our time is spent with emails, tasks, and minutia?
No matter what we lead, who we?re leading, or who we?d like to be leading, those of us that are called to lead want to affect people for the better. In fact, I?ve yet to meet a true leader that focused on any other bottom line than positive change for the people they have around them.
We see countless examples in the Bible of the leaders God called making positive changes for those God gave them to lead.
Moses changed an entire religious system and led his people to the brink of the Promised Land.
Daniel led by example when he refused to give in.
Joshua wanted to see his generation enter the Promised Land so badly that he led what seemed like a ridiculous march around some walls.
Nehemiah loved his hometown so much that he was willing to endure ridicule, persecution, and a bunch of blisters on the way to seeing an important wall built.
Jesus gave of his very self, his life, and his dignity for the people he led.
That?s what leaders do. They lead and love people.[quote]That?s what leaders do. They lead and love people.[/quote]
The temptation for a leader, though, is to get caught up in the little things. You know, the paperwork, the phone calls, the emails, the Twitter checks, all of the things that?while they play a role in leading people?don?t really deal with people.
The temptation is to be thinking about the tasks you have to do while you?re with the people you need to lead. That?s why productivity is so important to a leader.
Here are just a few productivity tips for the leader that?s having a hard time stepping aside from the tasks and getting it organized.
- Schedule email checking and responding times.
- Don?t use your email inbox as a task list.
- Unsubscribe freely from promotional emails.
- Find a good task manager (Things, Wunderlist, Todoist, Omnifocus).
- Learn what workflows work for you.
- Capture every to-do that goes through your mind so you can get it out of your mind.
- Break up large projects into small, actionable tasks to make it less overwhelming.
- Find a safe place to keep ?digital stickies?. Evernote may be your best bet.
- Work in 20-minute increments. Be determined not to take a break or get distracted. This will keep you fresh and on task.
- Guard your calendar. Schedule time-based appointments but leave room for margin.
Leader, don?t overlook productivity.[quote]Leader, don?t overlook productivity.[/quote]
It?s important to accomplish what you really want to get done and move your organization forward. It?s important because it helps you maximize your time and maximize your impact.[quote]People are the priority.[/quote]
People are the priority. So get the busywork out of the way and get focused back on the number one thing.
