In a study by Coretelligence, in which many hundred section and department leaders were surveyed, 6 out of 10 leaders said that they had no time or not enough time for developing, strategizing, and planning. 6 out of 10! Had no time or not enough time to prioritize consistently! How about you?
Your success or your failure – according to how you prioritize them!
When you are a leader – be it section leader, CEO, entrepreneur, or team leader – then strategy and planning are THE success factors in your work. Not for your daily work, but more for the quality of your successes at work in general. Without investing this time and without these valuable thoughts, everything becomes uncoordinated, unplanned, and unattainable.
Of course, you can focus on all things important and tangible that crop up in daily operations. You can work on the difficult complaint of a long-standing client whom you know personally. You can solve the problems of your employees or run about extinguishing fires here and there. This all feels good because you are being the much-needed boss. Yes, without you, the boss, nothing would get done.
If this is the case, then in all likelihood you are neglecting your duties as a forecasting planner and thinker because there is simply not enough time in the day.
‘No time’ means ‘I am prioritizing something else’.
When I ask my audience in a leadership presentation ‘Which one of you has enough time for strategy, planning, conception?’, then out of about 100 people, between 0 and 10 will respond. That’s barely touching 10%! And more often it’s only 1 or 2 who raise their arm. In other words, each leader may know the principle of prioritizing – and indeed every leader does – yet most are unable to find enough time for the one success factor that is the most important in the long term. This lack of well-thought-out conception and planning in times of change is deadly for many organizations. You know this too, right?
Not planning strategically is like smoking – deadly!
It’s like smoking. Peter, a friend of mine who is also a founder, owner, and CEO of a very successful firm with 50 employees, has been smoking for decades. His doctor showed him the negative effects on his x-ray, and yet he continues to smoke. Sure, it’s only 8 or 9 cigarettes a day now, but he still knows that this burden will cost him five years of his life.
I consider this stupid – for a variety of reasons: First, I like Peter a lot and so I would prefer him not to die just yet. Second, many people like him as a business partner, a boss, a poker player, a friend, and a life partner. Third, the harm of smoking far outweighs any joy he is getting out of it now. And this last reason also forms my hypothesis.
If you as a leader are prioritizing daily operations over regular strategy meetings with your team or by yourself, then – just like with my friend Peter and other smokers – you are risking the life of your business.
Do you want to win? Or do you just want to not lose today?
How well do you want to do your job? 75% or 90-100%? Okay, 100% is a bit ambitious, but we should at least see how close we can get, don’t you think? I am certain that if you want to hit 90%, then you MUST have enough time for strategy, conception, planning. Period.
You probably knew all this before you started this chapter. But, if you are anything like most other leaders, then you won’t do it. Even though you know it.
Hunt like a lion
Okay, so you want to know how you can go about it? Easy: Hunt like a lion. Yes, because the lion does not hunt alone…No, wait a moment. That’s not right. Which members of the pride are responsible for the actual hunt? Yes, most of you will know that it is the lionesses who hunt. This existentially important job of feeding the whole pride has been delegated by the lion. This is a clever bit of letting go. The lionesses are a bit leaner and a lot lighter, meaning they are more agile than the lion and can better keep up with the zigzagging of the antelope. They are simply the better hunter.
The pride leader is focused for he has other tasks that he takes care of personally…He must protect the pride’s territory from other prides. THAT is his task. THAT is in his job description. The lion makes sure that the pride even has a territory in which it can hunt.
For this task, he even puts his life on the line.
Some daily motivation for your desk
So, all you leaders out there, hunt like a lion. This also counts for female leaders, of course, for they are the lion, the leader of the pride. Use this link https://bit.ly/30CnTET to download a PDF of my Lead Like a Lion postcard. Print it out and put it on your desk – it will remind you every day to consistently set priorities.
And of course, besides strategy, you can also focus on any other task that currently requires your attention. Finishing off this chapter is my priority for today, which is why I sat down at my desk at 8: 10 am to write…before doing any other task of the day.
Tip for implementation: Tackle your most important task of the day first thing in the morning. Before you have read your emails or engaged in similar distractions. Perhaps even before you go to the office. It is often difficult to find a calm opportunity once the chaos of everyday life gets going.
Setting priorities in three steps
So how can you do this exactly? How can you find time for strategy and conception?
Step 1:
Ask yourself: How much time do you need per day, per week, per month, per quarter, per year for strategy, planning, and conception?
Step 2:
Schedule this time in your calendar, e.g., every Thursday from 7 am to 8 am or every first Thursday in the month from 7 to 11 am. Set a permanent series of appointments for the next ten years. You can adapt this schedule to your actual needs.
Step 3:
Turn these strategy meetings into a routine – a ritual if you like – that you do regularly, every week, every quarter, every year, according to your needs. It’s like brushing your teeth. You never forgo brushing your teeth because you need to call a plumber because of a broken pipe! You always brush your teeth before going to bed! If you can do it for brushing your teeth, then you can also do it for planning and scheduling time for strategizing.
With these three steps, you can hunt like a lion and focus on those issues that are the most important for you. Are you disappointed because you would rather do every single little thing yourself? Well, then you had better read the beginning of this chapter again, with the example of the three bottles of orange juice and the two glasses.
Distractions happen
‘What should I do?’ a leader asked last week during leadership training. ‘My office has a huge glass wall. Everyone can see that I’m at my desk. I am constantly being interrupted.’
Are you creating or are you just reacting?
Where there’s a will, there’s a way! A café on the way to work. A meeting room. Scheduled appointments or set times in which you commit to doing only quiet, concentrated work. This is all down to your organization and leadership.
For me, it’s the kitchen. Several times a week, actually almost every day, I sit at my kitchen table for one task, to which I devote my full concentration. And then I sit on the train on the way to meet clients and think. My phone is in flight mode. The Wi-Fi is off. Or sometimes in the morning, still in bed, with a pen and paper. It doesn’t matter where, what matters is your attitude.
Routines create success. What routines enable you to regularly do your thinking, your deep work, your highly concentrated work? This is the basis for your success as a leader.
By doing this, you will immediately belong to those who answer the question ‘Do you have enough time for strategy, planning, and conception?’ with a resounding ‘Yes! I do because I hunt like a lion! I have someone else do the hunting and I focus on the essentials.’ Be proud of