9/24/2012–The benefit of time scarcity
In The Effective Executive Peter Drucker claims time is the most precious resource. I’m almost deep enough into my work to fully realize this, as this was the first week in which I didn’t have enough time for all my tasks. I’m getting more productive each week, but the list keeps getting longer still. I first asked why they would do this–overwhelm our four manager team with incessant duties and info for our forty+ employees, but after imagining success faced with this situation, I realized that one cannot truly learn the skill of prioritization until one has too much work and too little time. This manager is forced to develop skills for delegation, relationship management, and the occasional decision to let some certain things go undone. Manager Tools calls this “delegating to the floor” and though it’s counter–intuitive, I now see why its effective use is a sign of effective management. Having more than you can handle develops another effective behavior–perhaps the most. When she learns she cannot herself complete every task she’s assigned–and then she’s forced to delegate–the effective manager has to learn what tasks are: A) Best completed by herself (i.e. “know thyself”) and B) How to organize her calendar to ensure her ONE priority gets done WELL. This is Drucker’s idea of an effective manager–one who gets the right things done. Therefore, the manager must do one thing well–and know what that one thing is. She must not attempt to be master and commander of a “top 5 priorities” list. For these reasons, it would be a red flag to me if I felt like I had completed all my week’s tasks. I’d know either A) I didn’t do the one priority as best I could or B) My boss doesn’t know the value of time scarcity.
QOTW: “If you asked anyone from my 18 years of management what it takes to make me angry they’d say they “don’t know–I’ve never seen him mad.” –Kyle, after a week of many angry moments
?FNW: Started three online courses; will I be able to keep up with them? 10/9–Not even close
11/12/2017 review–This is incredibly valuable to learn as a young professional: “one cannot truly learn the skill of prioritization until one has too much work and too little time.” And the same goes for learning the full value of delegation (it requires having too much work to do).