In eight years of consulting the number one biggest challenge I’ve seen across all clients and within our own organization is simply getting the most important things done. If I’m honest, it was also the biggest challenge I witnessed and experienced at the three companies I worked for prior to starting Spearhead. It’s not easy to get the right things done.
It certainly begs the question, “What are the right things?” My suggestion is to follow the scientific method. Set
- “Hypothesis” aka Plan – “Necessity is the mother of all invention” – Albert Einstein
- “Experiment” aka Do- “It’s amazing how confused and distracted and misdirected so many people are.” – Stephen Covey
- “Evaluate” aka Check – “We lie loudest when we lie to ourselves.” – Eric Hoffer
As mentioned earlier, it’s the “Do” part that always trips people up. Below is an excerpt from one of our workshop exercises that lists 7 tips for getting things done. When we get our clients and our team to follow these basics, we get things done and thrive. When we allow ourselves to get distracted we merely survive or even worse, take steps backward.
1. Block out quiet work time every day – no email, no phone, no interruptions
2. Schedule weekly reviews of priorities and review of last week’s progress
3. Put the priority projects for the week on your calendar
4. Agree on a daily huddle time – not a 24/7 interruption
5. Keep a log of what you’re working on and identify recurring tasks
6. Automate recurring tasks
7. Hold others accountable to make and keep their commitments
That’s it. Easier said than done. If you need help getting things done, especially in sales and marketing, feel free to message me.
Cheers!
