YOUR BUSINESS
Thinking vs. Doing
If you had 20 percent more time magically appear in your work week -- a full uncommitted, unscheduled work day, every week -- what would you do with it?
Would you do more email? Would you go to more meetings? Would you do even more of what you are already doing?
Or would you do something different? Better?
Most people say they would use extra time for thinking, or strategic planning.
This is what I refer to as working ON your business vs. working IN your business.
It’s very easy to get consumed working IN your business, creating, writing, meeting, selling, building. It all feels like its important and necessary. All this activity is working IN your business -- it’s working on the content of what your business does.
But if this type of activity consumes all of your working time – you are being a work-horse.
In fact you could think of staying over-busy as a form of laziness -- not getting the job done, because you have failed to apply the hard, strategic thinking to tune and balance your workload for the highest impact.
There are three things you need to consider:
- Understand why this is hard to do
- Know what it looks like when you are doing it right
- Focus on what the benefits are
YOUR PEOPLE
Develop your replacement or you’re stuck
Many people equate staying deeply involved in the work with adding value – and therefore getting ahead. This is not how it works.
Working really hard IN your business and consistently delivering results, will sentence you to a life of working really hard in your business and delivering results.
Why would anyone other than you want that to stop?
I’m not talking about NOT-delivering results. I’m talking about delivering results in a way that you rise above the work. Your still get the work done, but you do it by leading your team and building capacity vs. sheer will and busy-ness.
Step Up & Step Back
Every time you take a step up you need to take a step back from the content and the detail. That’s your job. You need to make sure your team is capable of delivering on the content. If you can get your team to deliver without your involvement your are doing it right!
Here are some ideas for how to do this.
YOUR VISIBILITY
Don’t be known as a work-horse
If you are a work-horse you will become known for being someone who can always take on more and get it done.
It’s really important to manage what you are know for to be a leader who is building capacity vs. being a work-horse who can handle a virtually unlimited amount of work.
Here are a few ways to do this:
YOUR LIFE
Remember what you enjoy
Another trait of the work-horse is to put off enjoying life until all the work is done.
People used to tell me with pride that they had maxed out on vacation days and were no longer accruing them. Never let this happen to you.
Remember the most inspiring and successful executives and people are the ones who’s lives are working. They take time to enjoy their life. Their work and their life –works. They are good at both.
And it’s not because highly successful people were less busy than everyone else along the way!
At the very least, take some time to remember what it is you enjoy. It’s easy to forget what you enjoy when obligations squeeze out everything else for a long time.
Once you remember, focus on it, then set a goal, even a small one. If you enjoy world travel, don’t think the only way to do that is to quit your job and go off on a life changing adventure (which you probably won’t do). Plan a weekend somewhere you haven’t been before (which you probably will do).
The difference in emotional payoff between doing zero and doing something that is meaningful to you is way bigger than the difference between something and a lot.
Focus on something you enjoy and if you can’t set a big goal set a small one and actually do it!
You will feel different, gain energy and be better at your job too!
I hope you have found some useful ideas that will help you do something specific to build value in your career and business and enjoy your life.
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About Patty
Patty Azzarello was the youngest general manager at HP ever at the age of 33. She ran a $1B software business at the age of 35 and was a CEO for the first time at the age of 38. Patty is known for her personal leadership qualities, her straightforward and practical manner, and her genuine interest in making a real connection with people to help them to advance their career and business, and to find ways to enjoy their life more.
Today Patty Azzarello is the CEO of Azzarello Group, www.AzzarelloGroup.com a unique services organization focused on helping companies develop and motivate their top performers and grow their business.
Azzarello Group delivers practical, experience-based tools, through products and services including, executive coaching, public speaking, leadership workshops, online programs, and consulting with teams on business execution.
