The Leadership Programme.

If you want to be a better leader you’re in the right place, welcome!

Delivered every Friday and is a minestrone soup of tips, techniques, learnings and thoughts, & the odd disaster, based on my 25+ years of managing teams.

Read time: 2.00000003567 minutes

I was drowning!

So many tasks, competing for attention.

You know what it’s like:

Your manager drops more on you; team members need support; the client is on the phone, (… are they happy, or not); you’ve got three concurrent deadlines; a big presentation you need to prepare for.

And don’t even mention the school play and costume that you’ve got to make …

It results in long hours and stress, and despite what you may have been told, long hours don't get you promoted.

I was so overwhelmed I felt I was in way too deep.
I had to get focussed on what I needed to do, and what I could push away.

So I learned to prioritise.

“Of course I prioritise!”

It’s easy to ‘prioritise’, but it can fall to being, the work that has just landed on your desk, or the work with the loudest voice.

Properly prioritising means looking at the outcomes and consequences involved in doing one piece of work over another: the opportunity cost.

I shouldn’t need to say “Focus on your own goals, not someone else's problems.” but I will.

This a fabulous quote from a friend, Pam Rubin (follow her on X, @Pam_Rubin1).

This is not about ‘not being a team player’.
It’s about meeting your commitments.

Here are the 4 frameworks I use to ruthlessly prioritise, make better quality decisions, and hit my targets!

Eisenhower Matrix.

Simple & Effective.

You prioritise based on urgency and importance.

Urgent defined as = tasks with a deadline & must be done by you.

Important defined as = tasks to meet a long-term goal.

Do, delete, delegate or schedule all tasks.

Urgent + Important : you do it now

Urgent not Important : delegate to others

Important not Urgent : schedule these tasks

Not Important or Urgent : ditch completely

The rule to work by, if it’s not on the Eisenhower it's not getting done.

note

You can consider delegating tasks temporarily ( if it’s possible).
eg I have asked a team member to step up to a role, temporarily.

How I’ve used it

I was overwhelmed with everything listed at the top. I spent 1 full hour, writing everything down on the grid, each quadrant on a separate A4 sheet.

When I wrote them out like this, it became more apparent where I creating busy work (eg responding to emails unnecessarily, attending meeting I didn’t need to ).

Now, as a coach with a small business, I did this exercise recently.

I was amazed that I could distill my work down into a few tasks that actually needed doing, and Ive stripped out everything else..

I don’t have any one to delegate to, so it moves to out sourcing as required.

I.C.E matrix.

This is used to compare different options you have available. Give points 1 - 10 against each area.

Impact: consider how important the task is to the overall success of the project/goal.

Confidence: the level of certainty you have about the outcome of the task and the level of risk involved.

Ease: how straightforward/ complicated is it to implement, and what resource level is needed?

Calculate the score & prioritise accordingly.

How I’ve used it

This has been good for considering financial investments, eg investing in equipment.

SWOT analysis.

Just because it’s familiar, doesn’t mean it’s not helpful. Apply to a company, department, or team. What are the:

• Strengths: what's your advantage/s or USPs.

• Weaknesses: where are you slacking?

• Opportunities: what's happening?

• Threats: markets and competitors

note

Keep it grounded in real-world experience. Stats and data are valuable, but so is personal insight.

You can use it for personal decisions, not just work.

How I’ve used it

Every marketing or strategy document, or policy, I’ve ever done.

Cost / Benefit analysis.

You’ve heard of it, but may use it wrong. Where it has fallen down, is in the failure to consider indirect implications or intangible costs.

(Intagibles are often not sexy).

Direct as well as indirect costs and benefits should be considered.

Put a $$ against them all.

It helps you identify the opportunity costs of going for one option, over another

How I’ve used it

Most main decisions, particularly with financial implications, but can run to changes in team/ service structure.

If you want any help or advice on this, reply to this email. Let’s have a chat.
have a great weekend, Lesley x

Please don’t hesitate to forward this, to help others learn.

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Action for the week!

Want to have a practice?

For the next project or big decision you need to make, choose a framework that’s appropriate. See if it’s helpful or not.
I’d love to hear about your experience with these if any are new to you.

Music to get you ready for the weekend!

A mega playlist of supersonic tracks, to get you in the mood for the weekend,

I feel the need for something uplifting I can dance around my kitchen to. So here you go. This is a chilled more laid-back summer tune. LOVE IT. I’ve added the Glastonbury version. Have a fabulous weekend, Lesley

When you’re ready, there are other ways I can help:

1. 1:1 coaching to boost your career: If you are stuggling with feeling overwhelmed, and want :
   less stress,

   remove limiting beliefs that are holding you back,
   develop your leadership skills,
   control your job, so it doesn’t control you, let’s have a chat, link here.
   

2. Does your confidence ever need a boost? My Confidence Build mini masterclass may be exactly what you need. Simple, actionable techniques that have an instant impact. Get more details here.