Personal Operating Rhythm (#44)
The most important decision you can make as a leader is where you commit your time. We talked earlier about the Operating (or Battle — https://www.thefivecoatconsultinggroup.com/the-coronavirus-crisis/operating-rhythm ) Rhythm which is your organization’s cadence of reports, meetings, and off-sites that drive the organization to meet its objectives. But what is your personal operating rhythm or cadence of meetings, engagements with clients, engagements with your boss, and engagements with the team that help drive your team to meet its objectives?
Here is an example — when I was a battalion commander, one decision I made was that the battalion’s meetings would happen on Mondays and Fridays while we were at Fort Campbell. That freed up my direct reports (the company commanders) to train their unit Tuesday through Thursday, unencumbered by the requirement to attend a battalion meeting. It also enabled me to unplug from the office Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday and go visit the companies’ training.
The coronavirus crisis and social distancing has caused a disruption to people’s personal operating rhythm. With travel and in-person meetings limited, there is an opportunity to relook your personal schedule and see if where you are committing your time is helping or hindering your team to meet its goals. Here is my personal operating rhythm last week:
5:45-7:00 Wake up, drink a cup of coffee, eat a banana, and write the blog
7:00-7:45 Walk the dog and listen to a podcast
7:45-9:00 Breakfast and more writing
9:00-10:30 Telephone calls, emails, sales calls, and webinar preparations
10:30-12:00 Ride the bike trainer
12:00-12:45 Lunch and walk the dog
12:45-1:15 Power nap
1:15-6:00 Telephone calls, zoom meetings, and emails or deliver webinar
6:00-7:30 Walk the dog and dinner
7:30-9:30 Watch a movie, read a book, or call friends
My schedule changes the weeks that I have my daughter (I wake up an hour earlier so I can finish more work before she gets up). Also, I front load my writing because I have found that I write better in the morning.
As an exercise to evaluate your own personal operating rhythm, first go back and revisit your company’s mission+leader’s intent (see post #25 for more on mission+leader’s intent — https://www.thefivecoatconsultinggroup.com/the-coronavirus-crisis/d-day ) or purpose. Then review your personal calendar for the past month (you may need to do this forward for a month if you aren’t tracking your time accurately). Divide the different events on your calendar into three categories: the productive uses of your time (i.e. the ones that are helping your team achieve the mission+leader’s intent), the time wasters (those that don’t), and what tasks could have been done by others (delegate). Eliminate the time wasters from your calendar for the next month, delegate those tasks which can be done by others, and focus on maximizing the productive use of your time.
Your new personal operating rhythm will give your business a competitive advantage, ensure you are executing your strategy, and eliminate ineffective uses of your time.