There is nothing so useless as doing efficiently that which should not be done at all. ~ Peter F. Drucker
My boss has us doing an exercise that involves an inventory and assessment of how we spend our time. The entire exercise causes me to examine my priorities and personal level of accountability (which I'm sure was her intention in the first place!). One of my biggest take away from the exercise is that I've somehow managed to convince myself that it is indeed possible to be everywhere and actively participate at all times. The scary part is that I've also managed to convince others around me that they can do the same. It’s the few smart ones in my circle of influence that have held tightly to the fact that leadership without focus isn't leadership at all. I quickly discovered that there exists a great opportunity to improve on my ability to model behavior as it relates to time management. Mr. Drucker politely calls to task those of us that have meetings on our calendars 30 minutes longer than they need to be, engagements after work that do nothing for our health or work/life balance, and make excuses for why we won't attempt to offer bold changes on our team which we believe will improve results. My apology goes out to the countless mentors out there that have been telling me this for years. I get it now.
My challenge to you this week is to conduct an audit of how you spend your time and reprioritize. At the most basic level, take a look at your calendars over the next few weeks and rate the meetings you have on a scale of 1 - 10 with 10 being 'ADDS SIGNIFICANT VALUE TOWARDS THE ACHIEVEMENT OF OUR GOALS'. Anything that you rate a 5 or below should not be given the same amount of time as something you rate a 9 or 10. At a more strategic level, take a look at how you spend your overall time and examine whether or not it helps achieve your goals personally or professionally. I give Midwest Airlines credit for the bold announcement that they would stop offering some non-direct flights or eliminate leisure destinations from their menu. While there will be some initial challenge with whatever changes you decide to make, you will be stronger in the long run and be better positioned to deliver high quality service to your customers, clients, students, family, and yourself.
Alonzo Kelly
President-Milwaukee Urban League Young Professionals
