Staying focused in a day to day life

  Staying focused in a day to day life 

(Execution Excellence -"Ability to get things done" Series)

As part of managing self to get things done, one of the self-development areas is being focused. Last few weeks, we have discussed how the leaders demonstrate the focus in the organization and make the team also focus at the macro level/organization level / medium term.

Now let us discuss how effectively people stay focused in day-to-day activities/micro level / individual level.

It is very challenging to remain focused on our daily activities and results as distractions may be created by ourselves through our practices and others. Some effective people overcome by consciously practicing some behaviors which i observe and learn from them.

1. They have clarity about what they want or what agenda to fulfill in a day.
2. They maintain a "To do list" on a piece of paper and ensure to check at the end of the day.
3. They convert their agenda into key performance indicators (KPIs) that they measure and track periodically. We speak ideas most and forget them, but converting the idea into metrics will improve the focus.
4. They will always start with END. This habit will help them focus on the result rather than being distracted by the activities.
5. They are more prudent about "what not to do or what not to talk" about than what to do. Focus is all about what not to do and what to do.

In one of the firms, the business head casually shared his plan to go about technology degradation through investment. The team was then working on solving quality issues in the existing technology. When they heard about the business head's plan for upgradation, they stopped working on problem-solving. They pointed out the new technology could be the panacea for all the problems ...complete focus distraction!! by sharing untimely information.

6. They manage and conduct the meetings very well, as distractions mostly happen in meeting forums. They organize themselves very well by certain behaviors like putting the mobile in silent mode, going by the agenda, taking notes, and involving all stakeholders.
7. Even if someone distracts from the agenda, they will bring it back to the agenda quickly as they know it is one of the core jobs of chairing the meetings. Sometimes when the discussion gets into conflict, they brilliantly handle it or, worst case, make it offline to remain focused.

 
You might have observed the above behaviors and something more.
 
The point is that staying focused is a choice irrespective of the environment, and this is one of the mindsets that help us to stay focused. When we, as leaders/managers, remain focused, the team will also stay focused and enable us to get things done.

Have a great week ahead.

Being focused-How do effective people display?

 Being focused-How do effective people display?  

(Execution Excellence -"Ability to get things done" Series)

As part of "managing self" to get things done, one of the self-development areas is being focused. Last week, we discussed how the leaders demonstrate the focus in the organization and make the team also focus.

In continuation of it one more example in the Indian automobile industry is Bajaj auto's transformation from being a domestic scooter manufacturing organization to one of the world's largest exporters of motorcycle organizations in a decade.

Before 2000, Bajaj auto was widely known as a scooter manufacturing company with a decent presence in motorcycles. They focused more on the Indian market, with a sizable market share in the two-wheeler industry. That is the legacy created by Rahul Bajaj as a founder. In 2005, the next generation Rajiv Bajaj took the managing director role and decided to focus only on motorcycles to take the company globally and dropped the scooter business completely. At that time, there was skepticism about his decision to leave the scooter legacy even at the family and industry levels.
Despite all the concerns and noises, he single-mindedly focussed only on motorcycles, developed new products in all the ranges, tied up with many international companies as partners, and exported to many countries apart from the domestic market.

To cut short the story, today, Bajaj is exporting to more than 70 countries, and the export sales are around 53 % of its overall sales. No other Indian company achieved this sales performance. The other achievements are company is globalized and cash rich.
 
Now having achieved significant results in motorcycles, he is again entering into the  EV scooter segment with the old brand of Chetak.

That is the focus till achieving the result.

Scholars and Business consultants may define the above achievement as strategy or specialization, but i  see it as a demonstration of the focus of the business head to get things done without distraction. Most of us are good at planning and need to be more disciplined in execution. That calls for focus as a behavior.

In this way, only the leader demonstrates to others what is priority or focus, and the team or organization is also focused.

Let us discuss how effective people demonstrate the focus on a day-to-day basis next week
.
Have a great week ahead.

Being Focused

 Being Focused 

(Execution Excellence -"Ability to get things done" Series)

 

As we discuss the art of getting things done in the workplace, managers/ leaders must organize themselves effectively. In line with this, we have discussed the importance of managing time and expectations. The next aspect of managing self is FOCUS.

What is meant by FOCUS?

Focus means directing our thoughts, energy, and time into something. It is beyond the ordinary meaning of concentration in a single activity.

From an execution capability development of point of view, focus means knowing the priority and pursuing it till the end without distraction.

The priority can be achieving the task or business goal, strengthening relationships with stakeholders, building a foundation or stability, etc.

Most of us need clarity on WHAT to focus on and HOW to remain focused in any endeavor.

Focus is one of the leadership skills which can be acquired through awareness and practice.

Why is FOCUS required for anyone?

• When we don't focus on the result, we quickly get distracted with activities and end up managing activities or being busy rather than getting things done.

• When we do not intend to complete the task or achieve some goal, how can we expect our colleagues, peers, and junior colleagues to stick to our plan? People follow a leader who is focused on the end objective.

A few years ago, Warren Buffet and Bill Gates were asked, "what is the single factor that contributes to your success?" Both immediately responded with one word: FOCUS

FOCUS differentiates between dreamers and achievers in any profession.

Staying focused is essential, but it is not easy for everyone to remain focused as numerous distractions and opportunities will derail.Effective executives always begin with the end in mind and remain focused till they reach the end.Hence they are quite effective in getting things done.

Let us discuss how effective people trained themselves to remain focused and the behaviors they display to others to stay focused next week.

Have a great week ahead.

Expectation Management- Accountability Vs.Responsibility

 Expectation Management-

Accountability Vs.Responsibility
(Execution Excellence -"Ability to get things done" Series)

 

We have discussed the importance of being aware of key stakeholders' expectations related to expectation management. One way of being aware of the role expectation is getting clarity between accountability vs. responsibility.

In practice, we interchangeably use the term accountability and responsibility. There is a difference in the terminology, and how we use them to understand the expectation of our role in a professional setup will help us to deliver effectively.

Accountability refers to RESULT or end expectation, and responsibility refers to ACTIVITIES. In any professional dealing, others expect us to be accountable rather than responsible, even though it is not explicitly expressed.

How will this understanding help us?

When you relate your job with reference to more accountability than responsibility, it will enhance your understanding of expectations. You tend to improve your execution capabilities when you are clearer on expectations.

For example, assume you are the finance head of the organization. The key accountability expected from the position is to ensure positive cash flow, and all the activities are subsets of this accountability. When you know your ultimate accountability or result expectation, you will tend to do an effective job rather than when you relate your role only to activities like account keeping, generating statements, analysis etc. When you relate more to activities, likely suboptimal performance only will happen.

Similarly, if you are the procurement head, the key expectation is to ensure undisturbed material supply and cost optimization in material procurement. The other activities or responsibilities are a subset of accountability.

You may relate to your current role and articulate the highest expectation of the role.

When we are not aligned in expectations between key stakeholders and us, say, our boss or customer, disappointment occurs.

Some effective leaders, as i observed, will always relate their work and their team's work with an accountability perspective. When they have clarity, they will always communicate or connect with the team from a result delivery point of view and minimize the micromanagement on the activities level.

The clarity on accountability vs. responsibility is vague in many organizations, and it is the prime job of the managers/leaders to make clarity and practice when dealing with others.

This clarity on expectation setting helps to execute things well.

Have a great week ahead!

Expectation Management

  Expectation Management 

(Execution Excellence -"Ability to get things done" Series)

As we are discussing the relevance of self-management for enhancing execution capabilities, one aspect we discussed was time management for ourselves and others.

The next aspect is "Managing the Expectation."
 
Managing expectation is about being aware of what is expected from us in professional dealings and how we set expectations for others.

First, we need to be aware of what is expected to deliver for the role we assume
Second, we must be clear about the priorities sequence we need to follow.

Why is this CLARITY important?
 
When we do not have clarity on the expectation, it affects our execution capabilities and growth opportunities.
Most of the firefighting and chaos in the organization is due to a lack of clarity on the expectation between people or stakeholders.
 
It is not what you can do or deliver, but knowing and delivering the same as expected from you completes the execution cycle successfully. Otherwise, the efforts will be wasted only.

One incident happened to me with my client where i realized the importance of expectation management. At the beginning of my consulting career, a human resource head from a company called me and briefed the requirement for productivity improvements, as he understood from his business head.

Since this company is abroad, they organized flight travel and accommodation. I went, met a few people and spent a couple of days, and identified the opportunity areas for improvement. At the end of the day, i met the business head and was about to make a presentation and hurry to catch the flight. When i started presenting the potential areas where we could work on improvements, the business head began showing signs of confusion and irritation. He turned to the human resource head and started firing him up. He asked me to stop the presentation and explained he wanted to know the methodology of manpower assessment, not improvements at that point: completely different expectations and realities. The entire effort became a waste.

The business head, however, asked me to stay back, and i refused as i had some other work lined up. Then i  returned and sent a proposal as per his expectation, but it did not work out as the first impression was not appealing to both of us.

I realized in this incident that i must be clear enough about the expectation from key stakeholders as communication distorts from person to person. It is not how good you are or how you deliver; whether you deliver as expected or not matters in professional dealings.

Knowing the expectation is a must for delivering effectively, and our effort in getting the expectation right is essential.

However, regarding expectation management,  executives need clarity on accountability vs. responsibility which affects the execution capability. Let us discuss that next week.

Have a great week ahead.

New book - The Art of Management

  New book - The Art of Management 

 The Art of Management is one of the books i have read in one sitting. Many books have been written on management and leadership themes, as most books cover the framework and case study examples.

This book is also more about the management of self and business; however, the uniqueness of this book, the author wrote only a few introduction pages from his experience, and he interviewed more than 20 practicing managers and entrepreneurs to share their practical insights on management. By the way, we can learn versatile views from many people from their life experiences.

The Author, Shivakumar, is Ex CEO of Nokia, Pepsico, and currently working in the Birla group. He is one of India's most exemplary thought leaders in management and leadership.

The one thing i liked in this book is the author invested his time to ask relevant and specific questions from each one, unlike some survey types of questions to all.

If you would like to learn versatile insights on management from practicing professionals, then i recommend this book.

https://amzn.to/3Dnreug

Happy learning and have a great week ahead!
 

Managing time for OTHERS

  Managing time for OTHERS  

(Execution Excellence -"Ability to get things done" Series)
 

 As we have discussed the importance of being effective vs. efficient and punctual for managing time for ourselves, the other aspect of time management is how we manage time for OTHERS.

How do we manage time for OTHERS?

It is more about how we organize ourselves effectively so that we are not time wasters for others. Generally, we do not like to work with people who are tardy and waste others' time. When others like us, our ability to get things done will enhance. We need to invest in making ourselves useful to others.
 
We must relook at some of our behaviors and practices, which take others' time.
 
Let me list down some of the behavior which i have observed in many executives in the workplace which affects others’ time.
 

• Talking on our mobile phones or chatting on the computer when some people sit and wait in front of us. We need to attend an incoming call, but we have a choice to have a detailed conversation later. 
• Conducting a meeting without specific agenda, discussing general or day-to-day issues, and wasting all people’s time.
• Even if we meet with some agenda, keeping irrelevant people and discussing with a few people signals disrespect to others' time and low engagement.
• Switching between macro and micro or business and functional activities.

For example, i have observed in one of the organizations, during the monthly business performance review meeting, the business head got into a detailed technical review of the particular quality issue and spent more time on it with a few attendees. Nothing wrong with discussing the technical problem, but the subject is irrelevant for many of the attendees, and their body language reflects their concern about their time spent on the unrelated topic. Also, that forum is meant for business review and not for functional review.

• Coming for the meeting without data/facts and wasting time in setting up the computer/ projectors/ switching between many files and distracting the attention of others.
• Frequent follow-up: One of the ways we can make others waste their time is by not keeping up our commitment. Generally, we may not like to work with a person who needs constant follow-up to get things done. In some organizations, things will be done only by following a person multiple times.

We may be doing without our consciousness, but it affects others’ time, and if they are our junior colleagues or peers, they may not be able to express it to us as feedback. However, they prefer to avoid us, affecting our execution capability.

It requires consciousness of how we organize ourselves for OTHERS.

 
Have a great week ahead.

Managing Time - Effectiveness & Efficiency

 Managing Time - Effectiveness & Efficiency 

(Execution Excellence -"Ability to get things done" Series)

 

Under the topic, "how we organize time for ourselves, we discussed the rationale behind "being on time" or "being punctual".The other aspects of "managing time for ourselves" are prioritizing the task and execution.
 
Most of us experienced that despite being busy with many activities throughout the day, we do not feel a sense of satisfaction. Time Management conflict on active and impact!
 
Time management is not how we engage in some activities and are busy.

Time management is purely inward motivation than externally monitoring time or counting activities. It is all about being effective and efficient.

Efficiency is how we do things right, and effectiveness is all about how we choose the right things to do.

Efficiency is related to skill, and effectiveness is related to awareness and mindset to choose the right activities.

If we want to excel in time management, in my opinion, we need to be more concerned about EFFECTIVENESS, i.e., awareness and mindset to choose the RIGHT activities.

Once we get into EFFECTIVE ACTIVITIES, efficiency is a matter of skill development.
 
If we choose the wrong task and whatever we do with high efficiency, it is not going to deliver desirable results and impact. There is no sense of satisfaction.

For example, choosing the right path to travel is EFFECTIVENESS. How we travel in the path quickly by walking fast or running or using the vehicle is all about EFFICIENCY. If we choose the wrong path and wildly run fast, we end up with the wrong destination.

Hence, the purpose or result gives satisfaction.
 
In a professional environment, choosing the right task is very important than doing the task faster.

How will you choose the right task?

It is defined by your role and the delivery expected from you from your organization. That is a priority.
 
You are effective when you know your priority as defined for your role or what you're expected to do and engage in that activity.

You become efficient when you execute the priority with speed by upskilling, delegating, and using the tools and techniques.

You need to feel good for having completed priority tasks with efficiency. It is all about time management. It is purely inward motivation and fulfillment.

First, we need to ask ourselves whether we are aware of our priorities; if so, are we doing it with efficiency?

Organizing self-managing Time

 Organizing self-managing Time  

(Execution Excellence -"Ability to get things done" Series)

 

We have discussed the importance of personal leadership or organizing self to improve the execution capability.
 
Let us discuss one of the essential elements of self-organizing, which is "Time Management."
 
We have discussed many aspects of time management in the earlier discussion; let us understand how managing time will impact getting things done at the workplace.
 
Managing Time should be looked at from two angles.

1) How do we organize our Time for ourselves;
2) How do we organize our Time for others

 How we organize our Time for ourselves 

It consists of planning our priorities/activities, making a To-do list, being on time for any events or meetings, and being aware of our Time wasters.

 How we organize our Time for others 

It consists of how we respect others' Time, keep our commitments up without follow-up or reminders from others and be available for others when needed.

Let us discuss all aspects, and the critical, fundamental conduct for any professional is "Being on Time" or "being punctual."
 
In childhood, we used to be punctual in school as an act of obedience or control from teachers and parents, and somehow we have not learned the basics behind it.

Fortunately, i  learned the science behind "being on time" from the beginning of my career. As most of us are aware that TVS as an organization is very specific about being on Time (punctual). They differentiated themselves from others in their bus service business by punctuality when they started the company in the 1910s in the southern part of Tamil Nādu.

When i was working as a trainee in TVS, one day, i went for a learning session late by a minute or less. All my colleagues were inside the room, and then the Vice president sarcastically greeted me as welcome mappillai! (meaning bridegroom). I felt embarrassed and shamed. After the session, i asked him why he was so concerned about being less than 1 minute late. What he said was real learning. He said, "It is not a matter of one minute late, it shows how you look at your work, event, and other people's time. It reflects your attitude".

Very profound learning for me. Since then, i have never been late to any event by plan, and i will keep informing people when unforeseen circumstances beyond my control pull me to be late.

While growing up, i observed that many people who keep up on Time are cool, handle situations calmly, consistently grow, and lead a quality life. Quality of life starts with the right attitude toward managing Time.

In my consulting experience,i have seen a typical pattern that the leaders who arrive at the organization on Time and start the meeting on time relatively manage the business well in any circumstances. Because they set the tone of their attitude towards Time to others, the organization follows them. The first step towards execution!

When you organize well, obviously, you will get things done efficiently.

Let us discuss some more aspects of time management next week.

Personal Leadership

                                             

 As we discussed, Execution capability comprises three elements, viz. 

1. Personal Leadership or how we organize ourselves
2. Inspiring and Influencing  others to get things done
3. In-depth knowledge about our work or business
 
Let's talk about Personal Leadership or self-organizing. 
 
What is self-organizing or personal leadership?
 
Self-organizing or personal leadership is about proactively preparing ourselves for the position/ title or the job or task we do."

It is all about how we conduct ourselves, shape our character, attitude, enrich our knowledge and skill for the position.

It is all about personal effectiveness.

It is the foundation for getting things done.

For example,

Suppose you are a functional or business head. In that case, this position demands certain behaviors, knowledge, and skills like being a role model for others on respecting time, and people, expertise in functional or business knowledge, and specific skills to demonstrate. How you prepare yourself for those requirements is about self-organizing or personal leadership.
 
Why do we need to self-organize from the "Execution Capability" perspective?
 
1) When you have not organized yourselves, you can not lead others effectively. You can not improve your team's capability without improving your effectiveness
 
As per the law of organized performance, the ratio of a leader's performance to their team remains constant.

For example, if you measure your performance on a scale of 1~10 and your score is 8, your team score would also be eight or less. Hence ratio is 1:1

You can not change your team's performance score to 10 unless you also improve your score to 10; therefore, the ratio remains constant as per law.

The point is your team's execution capability, or effectiveness depends on your execution capability only.

To get things done, you need to enhance your effectiveness first.

2) You will derail any time during the growth stage if you are not organized.

As said, self-organized is more about disciplining yourself. You will get derailed when you do not maintain the discipline as the job demands.

We might have come across many talented people who derailed their careers not just due to performance alone but lack of personal leadership.

Some of the examples could be ICICI bank Ex women CEO or  Satyam computer founder's fall mainly due to governance issues from a business perspective or integrity issues from a personal point of view.
 
The point is self-organizing is very fundamental for enhancing execution capability. Without that, we cannot inspire or influence others. When you grow up, people look up to you for everything.

Let's talk more about personal leadership next week.