The Truth About Rapidly Inventing More Time

We regularly tell ourselves that we don’t have enough time when we actually do. We just are choosing to spend it in different places. You first have to know if it is your plan or your discipline that is holding you back.  
 
When I started working with one executive, he told me that it was impossible to take control of his time as the CEO appeared to love long meetings that meandered slowly through laborious updates, with as little direction as a paper sailboat in a pond on a windy day. He had given in to what he thought was the norm and allowed others to knock his plans off course so then he stopped planning. I gave him some ways to take back control and he immediately identified he had created over eight hours of free time each and every week by not allowing others, (even his boss!) to encroach on his plans. 
 
I can always quickly determine which of my executive clients will rapidly achieve results, by observing how disciplined they are. The most successful do what they say they are going to do when they said they will do it. They have a high Promise Achievement Ratio or PAR. No follow up, reminders, excuses, or multiple new missed deadlines. You can quickly calculate this by paying attention to how many promises you make that you actually deliver. I asked this question at an executive leadership meeting last month that I was running for a technology company. The results ranged from 20 percent to 95 percent with some rapid feedback in the room from executive to executive about the perception and reality of each other's PARs. Since then everyone of the executive team has told me they are seeing faster delivery of results from their peers because they increased their discipline. 
 
I am certainly no golfer but I rapidly get executives playing above PAR by how they are inventing more time. 
 
Dedicated to growing your business,

Val

Who Is Making Sure You Do What You Planned?

I was speaking at the LA Lakers last week at their stunning training
facility. They win the award for the most inspirational conference
room I have spoken at as it had giant windows overlooking the training
courts! As I was speaking about being Thoughtfully Ruthless, we were
able to watch the team training. There were coaches, physical
therapists, and the owners all watching and giving guidance
individually as the team practiced, practiced, and practiced some
more.

It’s Monday morning, did you achieve everything you set out to last week?

That advanced board report preparation, planning for your next six
month’s worth of travel, conferences, company events, and social
commitments?

I was talking to a CFO client of mine last week and as we were
recapping on his achievements he quietly said, “You know Val, I did
most of these in the 45 minutes before our call as I didn’t want to
come on here and report I hadn’t done them!!”

I often hear that the most productive hour of an executives week is
the hour before our calls or meetings as they review and prepare.

If you don’t have anyone helping set the right pace and measuring your
progress, how do you know how well you are performing?

Dedicated to growing your business,

Val

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Why It Is Now Time To Be Selfish

How was your summer?

Lazy weeks, beautiful holidays, no alarm clocks, exploring new countries, precious family time?

Or perhaps it was more like juggling family requests, flying across the country or world, figuring out kid summer camp schedules, and trying to keep all the plates spinning at work. 

For my American readers where fortnight (not the popular game by the same name, fortnight means two weeks in England!) holidays are unheard of, the latter story of exhaustion is far more common. 

Wherever you are in the world, now is a perfect time to get back to prioritizing you. 

There is a chapter in my first book Thoughtfully Ruthless about being Sensibly Selfish, that it’s time to put yourself first again. 

Many of the executives I work with are responsible for billions of dollars of revenue and hundreds of employees. They have responsibilities to shareholders, board members, employees, their families and themselves. But that order needs to be reversed so the priority is YOU first. 

Press reboot on your commitments. 

Prioritize You Time, Couple Time, Friends Time, Family Time, Gym Time, Silence Time, and Alone Time.

...then you will be able to better serve your employees, boss, board and investors.

I’d love to hear how you are making the back to work transition.

Dedicated to growing your business,

Val

P.S. I hope you enjoyed this week's VAL-uable Insights, sign up here to get them in your inbox eachMondaymorning:http://valwrightconsulting.com/newsletter-sign-up/