Why leaders need to focus and set priorities
Für die Erledigung zu vieler Aufgaben stehen zu wenige Mitarbeiterinnen und Mitarbeiter zur Verfügung. Damit Arbeiten dennoch ausgeführt werden können, ist es umso wichtiger, Schwerpunkte zu erkennen und Prioritäten zu setzen.
One reality of organizational life is that companies often employ too few people to perform the work they want done. Employees are left struggling to make impossible choices between the “incredibly urgent” and the “extremely urgent”.
The ability to focus has therefore become an “ultra” competence, needed to ensure that the right things get prioritized in the right way while you keep strategic perspectives in mind. Focus is the foundation of a fully holistic and sustainable approach to work.
There are seven key aspects of focus in working life, which we can call the P.R.O.D.U.C.E. model: Purpose, Relationships, Organization, Decisionmaking, Upshot, Continuous learning and Energy. Clarity and commitment in these areas will enable you to perform to your best.
Purpose
British–american author Simon Sinek explained the importance of having a clear answer to “Why?”, connecting to one’s inner drivers and committing to clearly prioritized outcomes. Leaders, however, seldom clarify their deeper “Why?”. Yet, without an answer, we can find ourselves in roles and responsibilities that don’t match our own sense of self. We then lack the focus to perform to the max. Interestingly, more and more organizations are now asking the why question, moving beyond the mantra of profitable growth toward a bigger corporate purpose.
Relationships
Under the pressure to produce results, relationships often suffer. People struggle to find time simply to talk and build better understanding and deeper trust. They often interact just to get things done. And this focus on tasks gets things done and may well be rewarded in organizations. High performers who neglect relationships often get promoted to high positions, while those with a more collective focus on relationships may stand out less and underachieve.