The Secret to Getting Things Done
October 27, 2005
If you've ever had a valuable employee leave your organization - someone who not only performs an outstanding job for you, but also someone you really like personally - then you can identify with how I feel today. After seven years, my associate, Susie Love, is moving on.
On November 4, Susie will assume a new position as
executive director for a government agency. It's a position
for which she is superbly qualified.
While Susie does so many things well, she is especially
talented and effective as an administrator. And like all good administrators, she knows how to get things done.
How does she do it?
If you'd like to know how you can get more accomplished as a manager in less time (and who wouldn't?), then Susie is a perfect role model. After carefully observing her work habits over a long period of time, here is what I've learned.
- Treat your obligations seriously.
Be willing to accept personal responsibility for achieving results. Accomplished individuals like Susie don't wait for others to make things happen. They initiate action and follow up with others as necessary to ensure that things keep moving.
They are persevering, systematic, hard-working, and careful. And what a difference it makes! You don't have to worry about missing deadlines and
things "falling through the cracks" because someone is looking after them.
So, in order to get things done you have to first want to get things done, and be willing to make it happen even at times when it requires making personal sacrifices.
- Stay focused on actions that produce results.
Keep your sights clearly focused on the end result. Find out what methods or approaches work best and then stick with them. When solving problems, look to what's worked in the past.
Theories and ideals have little meaning to managers like Susie until they are proven to work. In fact, whenever you're evaluating any new tool or approach, the first question should be, "how will this help us achieve our objectives?"
Be willing to experiment with new ideas by putting them to the test. But, be prepared to quickly abandon any ideas that fail to produce results. Because it's results that count. And anything that requires too much time
or too many resources is particularly suspect, because it's probably not worth the effort.
Look for ways to streamline your department's operations. Managers like Susie have little patience for inefficiencies and duplication of effort. And they are especially unhappy when a task has to be done over again
because it wasn't completed right the first time.
- Make decisions based on what is fair and just for everyone involved.
This might seem like a contradiction at first. After all, the expedient
thing to do in any situation is to ignore the wants, needs, and feelings of others in order to get the job done, isn't it? And yet, therein lies the secret. By taking into consideration the needs of others you win their cooperation and support for what you're trying to accomplish. And as a result, you end up getting much more accomplished. In contrast,ignore the interests of others and you're likely to encounter resistance.
I used to think that one reason why Susie is able to get things done is because she is so decisive. What I came to realize is that decision-making
is easy for her because she bases all her decisions on the same principle: what is the right thing to do in this situation, considering everyone's interests?
Thank you, Susie, not only for all your hard work and dedication, but
also for teaching us how to become better managers.
Stephen Foster, Ph.D.
Expert Supervisor, LLC
1493 Market Street
Tallahassee, FL 32312
(850) 893-5699
E-mail me at: Steve.Foster@ExpertSupervisor.com.
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