Brett April 8, 2019

All this talk about productivity might be wasting your time as a leader.

Most productivity systems promise the same things – to help you get more done in less time and to eliminate time-wasting by automating certain pieces of work. 

If the majority of your work can be automated by one hack or another, you may not be doing the work of a leader. You might be getting faster and more efficient but making little progress. 

I’m reminded of Peter Drucker’s wisdom, “What is the major problem? It is fundamentally the confusion between effectiveness and efficiency that stands between doing the right things and doing things right. There is surely nothing quite so useless as doing with great efficiency what should not be done at all.”

Leaders are rarely measured by the volume of work they accomplish. They ARE measured (and should be) by the impact they have on the organization.

Leaders are rarely measured by the volume of work they accomplish. They ARE measured by the transformative impact they have on the organization and it's relationship with the outside world. Click To Tweet

Productivity has little to offer until a leader has defined what is essential and eliminated the rest. Rather than asking, how can I get more done in less time, ask these types of questions:

  • How am I modeling the way by the brush of my example?
  • What am I doing on a daily basis to shape culture by what I reward and what I tolerate?
  • When was the last time I inspired my employees by communicating our shared vision?
  • Do I lead with courage, honesty and vulnerability?
  • Have I done anything in the past week to demonstrate how I care for my staff as people?
  • What can I do better to remove obstacles for people to produce their best work?
  • Have I given first class time and energy to second class priorities?

Productivity hacks can’t help you answer these important questions and each of them are specific to the very nature of leadership.  

Leadership is not so much about being faster and more efficient. It’s about making an impact, facilitating change, fostering a healthy culture,  empowering others and casting a compelling vision.

If you focus on making an impact quickly, it won’t go well. If you try to be efficient in empowering others, you likely won’t succeed. If your main focus is speed when facilitating change, it will come back to haunt you. When demonstrating care for your staff, shortening time invested for task accomplishment will not produce the desired fruit.   

I’m all for being faster and more efficient but only if it frees up more time and energy to lead.

Leaders inspire a shared vision and communicate a compelling image of a preferred future. Leaders enable others to act and empower them to produce incredible results. Leader encourage the heart and demonstrate care for their people. Leaders challenge the process and facilitate change. Fill your days, weeks and months with these high-leverage pursuits and you will undoubtedly get more done is less time.

Productivity has little to offer until a leader has defined what is essential and eliminated the rest. Click To Tweet