Increase Purposeful Efficiency

Don't waste a dime or a minute. Efficiency is about optimizing every available resource. However, a resource cannot be optimized unless you know the purpose you are trying to fulfill, the goals you are trying to achieve, and the values you want guiding your behaviors.

It is not enough to be efficient, nor is it enough to be effective. You need to be both and continually increase both. Once a week go through these questions:

The Process of Increasing Purposeful Efficiency

1. What is the purpose our organization is trying to fulfill?
2. What specific goals do we want to achieve?
3. What are the values we want people to adhere to in our organization?
4. How did I use my time this week to fulfill our purpose and increase the chances we will achieve our goals? How could I have used it better?
5. How well did my behaviors align with the values we want to adhere to in our organization? How could my behaviors have aligned better with our desired values?
6. How well did I guide my employees toward fulfilling our purpose and achieving our goals in an efficient manner? How could I have done a better job?
7. How well did I invest our financial resources toward fulfilling our purpose and achieving our goals? How could I have done a better job?

By pausing and reflecting, you can continually increase your purposeful efficiency.

Remove Management Viruses

A few weeks ago a nasty virus entered my computer. Links took me to all the wrong places on the web. I shut down my computer and called in a terrific computer consultant. He removed my hard drive, worked his magic, took out the virus, and installed a new anti-virus program. He then ran Spybot Search and Destroy to kill off any other nasty problem. The whole deal was done quickly and efficiently.

Managers need to remove viruses from their system as well.

What habits do you have that eat up your time and energy and resources? What do you do that eats up the time and energy and resources of your organization?

Search through your calendar over the past 45 days. Look at where your time was spent. Think about the goals you've pursued, the projects you've been involved, the conversations you've had, and the e-mails you've exchanged.

Can you spot any viruses in what you do and say?

Identify what you can do to remove those habits from your work flow. Do you have a clear sense of your purpose as a manager? Do you know the 2-3 most important outcomes you are working to improve? Are you staying focused on the three things you can do that would have the greatest positive impact on improving those 2-3 high priority outcomes? Are your communications with your employees increasing the chances they will be successful in the future?

Just as a virus can wipe out your computer, a management virus can dramatically endanger your career and your organization's results. Search for and destroy those viruses. Most of the time I have found that these management viruses can be traced to an individual being overly tired and worn out. This happens because the individual feels the need to prove that he or she is an incredibly hard worker and deserves the management role. This can become a vicious cycle as the individual works longer and harder, becomes more and more tired, and increases the number of activities, projects, and objectives that are being pursued.

Make Sure the Gift Matches the Packaging

Portraying yourself as a caring boss or a good listener will win you points in the short term. However, you have to make sure your packaging matches the gift people receive from you.

Have you ever received a beautiful package only to open it up and find a cheap, tacky gift inside?

That's what it is like when a manager presents himself or herself in one way to a group of employees only to act completely differently behind closed doors. Be who you are. Be real. Present yourself as you really are so people know what they are dealing with. Eventually people will know if your packaging matches who you really are.

Would people describe the way you are packaged in the same way they would describe who you really are on a regular basis? If not, what can you do about it?

The .01% Club

Membership Requirements: Be among the very best performers in your type of role AND continually work to learn more and improve your performance.

Perform Extraordinarily Well and Keep On Improving

Seems to me about 1 in every 10,000 people in any type of role do both. They are exceptionally good performers AND they are committed to always learning more and improving their performance. I would put Clint Eastwood in that category. As an actor and director, he has been making films for more than 50 years. He has emerged as one of the best actors and directors of multiple generations. And yet he continues to strive to learn more.

In the December 6, 2009 issue of PARADE Magazine, Eastwood, who is 79, was quoted as saying, "The reason I still work at this stage of my life is because I enjoy learning something new every day. When you accept that it's a constant learning process, it's fun."

Is being in The .01% Club something you aspire for? If so, how can you improve your current performance level? How can you learn ways to improve your future performance level?