Ask any team why they have difficulty executing strategy and invariably someone will say “We don’t have enough time”. It is universal. Way too much to do and not enough time to do it, they will say.
Bruce Lee used to take time after his martial arts lessons to discuss life lessons with his students. On one occasion the topic was the difference between wasting and spending time. Here is what he said:
“To spend time is to pass it in a specified manner….To waste time is to expend it thoughtlessly or carelessly. We all have time to spend or waste and it is our decision what to do with it.”
The number one RESOURCE we all have is TIME! If you are a leader it’s not just our own time at stake but the time of the people you lead. How you invest that time is perhaps the most pivotal decision you will make.
The Solution
Here are three ways to ensure you and your team spend time wisely:
1. Connect all activity to team goals.
Execution is fundamentally about the action and behaviour of those responsible for delivering a result. Before you start to execute your strategy you need to be certain each team member has a clear answer to the following question….
“What 2 or 3 ACTIVITIES do I need to focus on, that will have the greatest impact on delivering team goals?”
All actions must be connected to delivering the result.
2. Kill unnecessary activity.
All activity that is not directly connected to the result is in the crosshairs. If there is a doubt ask these questions:
Why are we doing this? Will this help us succeed? What if we didn’t do it?
As a team you need to be absolutely vigilant about unneccessary activity. It is a distraction and nothing stops execution like distractions.
3. Know your weekly TOP 3
The biggest challenge is the daily grind. It is too easy to lose focus and start to waste time. Not to mention the thousands of daily distractions. The answer is simple. Know your weekly Top 3 Actions. At any moment every team member needs to know their weekly top 3 AND ensure they are connected to team goals.
Summary
Time is limited. Spend it….don’t waste it.
Connect all activity to team goals. Kill unnecessary activity. Know your weekly Top 3.
