Purposeful Action      

Laura Cardone       

First Published Nov. 2004

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In this article, you'll learn tips and strategies for purposeful managers. If you are frustrated by firefighting and endless busywork, read on.

Word count for this article: 975 Approximate time to read: About 4 1/2 minutes

Do you ever feel that your days are spent on busy work, going to endless meetings and putting out fires? Chances are you answered yes as busywork and frenzied activity seem to be reaching epidemic proportions in organizations worldwide. A recent study published by leadership expert, Heike Bruch, and management expert, Sumantra Ghoshal, reported that only about 10% of managers consistently get their most important work accomplished. The other 90% waste time by procrastinating, becoming emotionally detached or distracting themselves with busywork.

So, if management is the art of getting things done, consider the unrealized potential in your organization. The underlying challenge here is that many managers (and employees) confuse activity with accomplishments and motivation with true leadership. We are also dealing with another reality, that is - we are conditioned to avoid unpleasant situations whether we realize it or not. So, instead of dealing proactively with an angry customer or a disgruntled employee, many managers and business owners instinctively turn to busywork or procrastinate to avoid an unpleasant situation.

They fill their days with a steady stream of phone calls, email, meetings etc. in order to delay those problems that require time to reflect, plan, and think creatively. So, the immediate operational concerns get all of the attention, and many opportunities are never realized or only haphazardly implemented. Then of course those small issues become bigger until they become the fires that need to be put out. The cycle continues making this unproductive "busyness" one of the most critical behavioral problems facing organizations.

Busywork can be defined as active non- action. In other words, there's a lot of activity going on, but few results that build equity or long term value within an organization. Purposeful action, on the other hand, is thoughtful activity that is focused on building value or equity within the organization. That can be energy focused toward building team members' skills to provide better customer service, new product development, cost-cutting initiatives or new sales-generating programs that build up the organization. Purposeful action goes beyond just taking care of the routine tasks.

Purposeful action requires high levels of focus and energy. There's no magic formula, it requires discipline and willpower. Managers that are willing to candidly evaluate their own behavior and make the necessary adjustments to improve their performance will reap the benefits both personally and professionally.

Purposeful Managers are leaders who provide great value to an organization because they:

- Strive to be self-aware of their strengths and correct their limiting behaviors
- Are disciplined about making time every day to reflect and plan
- Develop well defined goals that are personally challenging
- Create vivid mental pictures about what they want to accomplish
- Take responsibility for their goals and actions
- Actively self-manage both their negative and positive reactions
- Generate positive energy
- Prepare themselves for obstacles
- Stay focused on the end result
- Have and use a support system that might include sports, hobbies or a group of trusted advisors. The key is to have something that helps you refuel.

So, what do you do when your faced with overwhelming demands? Let's face it some jobs are so demanding that they leave little time for reflection about what really matters. But, there are solutions to every problem. The solution may not be optimal initially, but with discipline you'll start seeing a difference in your results over time.

For instance, rather than simply responding to every request, structure your contact time. Evaluate those things in your schedule that you have direct control over - phone calls? emails? interruptions due to unscheduled contact time? Consider setting up a personal agenda. Obviously this needs to be aligned with your organization's objectives and your job responsibilities, but I have found that most managers have far more control over their schedule than they initially realize.

Becoming purposeful requires you to be aware of your strengths and weaknesses. Many people struggle with this because they don't make time to assess, evaluate and solicit feedback from mentors, peers and trusted advisors. If you're not one for introspection or asking for feedback, consider an online assessment. It can add tremendous value for self-improvement and coaching with valuable and objective insights into thinking style, behavioral traits and occupational interests that determine your personal and professional effectiveness. You can find hundreds of alternatives out there by doing an online search. They can be both cost and time effective. Do a little research and you'll find tons of great resources and web sites on the subject.