How to improve productivity – what’s moving the needle in your organization?

Editor’s note: Donald Thompson, a serial entrepreneur and investor, writes an exclusive column about leadership, equality, entrepreneurship and management. His posts are published on Wednesdays.

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RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK – In my 20 years of leadership, I’ve found that productivity is the one skill most closely tied to goal achievement. As leaders, it’s critical that we model productive behavior while also teaching others the best ways to deliver meaningful results quickly, efficiently and consistently.

How a person manages their time is critical not only to their own success but also to their career growth and personal development. Knowing the right things to work on, in the right order, is a big piece of each person’s capacity to become a leader in the organization. If someone can’t manage their own time effectively, it’s highly unlikely they’ll be able to manage a team’s performance and priorities.

Donald Thompson

In my experience, the most successful people deliver high-quality business results by spending their time in the most productive ways possible and pressing forward despite distractions and roadblocks. That means approaching work with a list of high-priority items and a method for making the most of your time. It means blocking time for what’s important, so you aren’t perpetually distracted by what’s urgent.

If you’re an executive, here are the productivity skills you should teach your team to improve their efficiency and effectiveness. And if you’re a professional who’s climbing the leadership ladder, here’s what you need to know to eliminate the noise and focus on what’s moving the needle.

EVERY WEEK AND QUARTER, NAME YOUR NEEDLE-MOVING PRIORITIES

At live events, Stephen R. Covey, the productivity mastermind behind The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, used to perform this powerful demonstration about why it’s critical that we organize our priorities if we ever want to get important things done. The demonstration tied back to his core productivity rule of “Put First Things First.”

In it, he gave someone a large glass container, which represents limited time, and a huge number of big and small rocks that the person had to fit inside. The big rocks are the things that are actually important. The small rocks are things that feel urgent or distracting. If you add the little rocks to the container first, the big ones won’t fit. But if you put in the big ones first – if you block time for the things that really matter – the little stuff still fits into the cracks.

Take the time to sit down every week, quarter and year to figure out which things are really going to move the needle for you, both personally and professionally. Which three things are you responsible for that are truly important? Which things need to be eliminated or delegated to others? To help you decide, follow my best practices for effective delegation.

WHY 90 DAYS?

At the organization-wide level, when determining your priorities, you first need to know your annual strategic goals. Then break things down into 90-day increments, and review your to-do list every week to make sure everything is working in alignment.

This weekly-to-quarterly-to-annual goal mapping is critical to success. For those who are familiar with Gino Wickman’s Traction book and Entrepreneurial Operating System (EOS), your 90-day goals are your “quarterly rocks.” Whether they are goals for the organization or goals for your personal and professional growth, once you’ve written them down, go ahead and share them with key players in your network who will hold you accountable for success.

Quarterly goals take advantage of our natural three-month-max human attention span, creating a sense of focus for yourself and for your team. By naming them aloud, you tie productivity to accountability to help ensure success. As Matthew Abrams explains in Forbes, when you’re designing your accountability structure, “Get feedback. Are they the right rocks? Are they aligned with the larger goals? Are they specific? Can you measure them in a yes/no fashion? Are they 80% attainable? It feels great to set stretch rocks, but given that most of our lives are full, we have a tendency to overshoot. Especially in the first few quarters, it’s fine to set the bar a little lower.”

BUILD IT, BREAK IT, LEARN FROM IT AND REPEAT

If you know me, you know I have a high tolerance for failure. As long as I am failing forward and learning from the process, it’s OK if one of my bright ideas actually turns out to be a flop. But of course, you don’t want too many flops in a row, as it means you aren’t learning fast enough and applying what you’ve learned to mitigate future risk.

From a leadership perspective, how do you know which ideas are worth testing, and which are just distractions from your overall productivity? Ask yourself these four questions. First, if we add this offering, what is the impact? Second, if done well, is this a market differentiator? Third, are we capable of executing this independently? And fourth, what is the cost of researching and building an initial road map for this project?

Don’t stifle innovation or productivity by focusing on why something can’t be done. Instead, push creative ways for your team to buy time for innovation, and don’t let excuses derail their productivity or creativity.

DON’T HANG OUT WITH UNPRODUCTIVE PEOPLE

Spending time with unproductive people will make you unproductive too. It’s easier and more fun to mentor people who gain energy from challenges, so stack your team with people who enjoy solving problems and won’t let roadblocks get in the way. When those high-performers are working effectively and efficiently, you all benefit from increased productivity.

Look for people who are dependable, ready to grow, and unafraid to bring issues forward with pace. Surround yourself with people who have big ideas and the confidence needed to really push the envelope. That way, you know you’ll push each other toward greater productivity.

Remember, productivity is an ongoing practice. As leaders, what productivity requires is that we consistently embrace our own personal development, regularly review and refresh our own priorities, and also teach our teams the best methods to approach their work.

About the Author

Donald Thompson is co-founder and CEO of The Diversity Movement which offers an employee-experience product suite that personalizes diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) through data, technology, and expert-curated content. Their microlearning platform, Microvideos by The Diversity Movement, was recently named one of Fast Company’s “2022 World Changing Ideas.” With two decades of experience growing and leading firms, Donald is a thought leader on goal achievement, influencing company culture and driving exponential growth. An entrepreneur, public speaker, author, podcaster, Certified Diversity Executive (CDE) and executive coach, Donald also serves as a board member for several organizations in marketing, healthcare, banking, technology and sports. His autobiography, Underestimated: A CEO’s Unlikely Path to Success, is available for pre-order now. Connect with or follow him on Linkedin to learn more.