#executive effectiveness

Too Busy to Succeed

Most of the leaders and senior executives I work with are grappling with not enough time in the day.  They are running hard trying to stay on top of key issues, but it’s affecting their work effectiveness and personal lives.  They need a way to focus on the issues and tasks that are most important and jettison the rest. 

This is particularly true for:

Executives newly promoted to…

Why Effective Leaders Don’t Have Cluttered Desks

I used to wonder why it was that when I visit well-respected leaders their desks are clear of clutter. In most cases, there are only one or a few folders on their desks. And although scheduling time with them was often somewhat difficult, they never seemed in a frantic rush to get through the meeting and on to other things.

It turns out that effective leaders are very good at two things:

First,…

How to Align Priorities

As a leader, you need to make sure that priorities are aligned throughout your organization, and that people are working on those priorities. To accomplish alignment, do the following:

Provide context continuously. This means the big picture – what is our business strategy? What is the role of different parts of the organization in achieving that strategy?

Check priorities regularly. Tell your…

The Transition Every Executive Must Make

Last week I was in Rhode Island where Autumn is beginning to take hold. It got me thinking about transitions and especially the transition that any new executive must make to shift from an operational perspective to a broader business-wide perspective.

When you become a senior leader, you have to change the way you think about both your role and the business.Senior leaders who don’t do this will…

Do You Have Enough Discretionary Time?

C-level executives must have discretionary time to work on the tasks that are most important to the company. These include such tasks as strategy, organization direction, communication, and people development. All this requires time to think.

Yet, finding discretionary time can be difficultwhen everyone wants some of your time and there’s not enough room in your schedule for all the meetings…

How Successful Executives Demonstrate a Strategic Perspective

An important challenge any successful executive needs to master is the transition from an operational project focus to a strategic focus. That’s not to say that projects aren’t important (they are.) Executives will contribute to identifying and prioritizing key projects, but leading projects is the task of operational positions.

Here’s how mature executives demonstrate a strategic perspective:

Ex…

Executives: Don’t Operate Beneath Your Level

Many executives have the opportunity to increase quality and productivity in their organizations, and at the same time reduce demands on their time, simply by operating at their own level. To do this, stop giving orders, doing project reviews, and inserting oneself into operations.

Here’s what will happen:

Direct report managers will become empowered to do their jobs

Individual performers will…