Peter Drucker, one of the greatest minds of executive leadership of the twentieth century identified five practices essential to business effectiveness that can improve anyone’s effectiveness.
- Management of time – While this one seems like common sense, it seems to be a difficult one for most people to tame. Having written a short self-study on time management years ago, I now realize at that young age in my late twenty’s, I had no clue about the demands on an executive’s time. It was good information and still would be effective, yet I was young and naive about the world of business and the demands on your time.
Effective leaders know the busier you get, the higher in corporate or church leadership you rise, the more time management is necessary.
- Choosing what to contribute to the practical organization – Perhaps like me you have known managers and executives on both sides of this see-saw. Some want a hands-on approach to the extent they can hinder the work of their team or organization. They’re usually always looking for the reason their team is not functioning effectively. On the other side, we see managers or executives who are so hands off, they haven’t a clue what is going on and leave their organization to flounder, only to blame the team members.
Effective leaders learn to step back to view the organization from a broader perspective or as some would say from the 3,000 foot overhead view.
- Knowing where and how to mobilize strength for best effect – Many organizations only want to fill an open position or task with any warm body,
Effective leaders observe and seek out a person with passion and capacity to get the job done. This person(s) will be effective in accomplishing the task. Fill positions with the right people.
- Setting up the right priorities – It is easy in our society to treat the urgent as the emergency basing our priorities on the nature of urgency.
Effective leaders realize prioritizing the important rather than the so-called urgent will render much more effectiveness. The story of Jesus raising Lazarus is one example. Martha, Mary, and His Disciples were about the urgent. Jesus on the other hand was focused on the more important issue. He said this will not end in death. He did not say Lazarus would not die.
- Knitting all of the above four together with effective decision making – Working on each of the four is a challenge. No one has all the components needed to carry these out effortlessly.
Effective leaders have learned to weave together the necessities required for each of these. They will bring others along who have complementary strengths in the areas the leader is weakest.
What will you do this week to begin working on at least two of these five practices for effectiveness in your life and organization?
