Creative Leadership; Inspirational Power ( Part 2 )

Time management is absolute crucial nowadays where business decisions have to be taken often at the speed of light, leaders have to find spare time to prioritize their actions.

Time is the scarcest of all resources. Leadership should be about developing the ability to inspire people to reach high levels of performance and success. Being able to dream a vision and having the passion to communicate that vision by concentrating the attention at key strategies.

Listening, coaching, and mentoring being an inspiration for others while managing the change culture of your organization. These are the skills and competencies that leaders clearly need to focus on. To achieve this you have to free up time, which, actually seems to be a paradigm in current days. So how can we best cope with this situation?

Managers rarely have time to spot opportunities. Their daily work routine prevents them from taking the first necessary step towards being a Strategic Leader. Developing the capacity to craft an idea and transforming it into reality. First of all you have to believe that you are not unbearable. So why don't you try and delegate more.

Most cases of, what seems to be, excessive workload are originated, because most managers are not able to influence the flow of their daily demands. It is a question of reacting instead of acting. Managers that take demands for granted and simply respond to them, rarely challenge themselves about the meaning these demands actually have, and if they really make sense or whether one could or should transform them. By being always "under fire," people never find time to ask themselves the vital Leadership question: "Am I busy performing the right actions?" We really need to frequently challenge ourselves about the usefulness for the business of some tasks we are performing. And how can we best monitor the level of importance for the organization that a specific request has? Well, here are 6 Questions that helped me to prioritize projects throughout my working carer. The answering of these questions helped me evaluating the degree of priority for a specific demand or project.

- "What economic benefit will this action bring for the company? - "Is this action aligned with the company's Vision and mission statement?" - "does it fit in the global strategy the company or department is perusing?" - "How will it satisfy stakeholders?" How important is it to your boss, your team, and other interested parties? - "What is my level of passion, skills, and energy for it - "Do we have the resources?" Are there sufficient time, money, and any other necessary resources to accomplish this goal? If you can't bring all six to the table, than probably, you're not going to achieve a high return on your efforts.

That should be one of the criteria that identify a leader, the ability to question routines. The simple fact is that being busy is easier than not. A higher level of adrenaline gives us the perception that we are fully occupied and busy as time is passing by. It is basically a question of being entertained, and most people, we have to admit it, feel more comfortable not having to think about the usefulness of some tasks. Answering to each new demand, providing an answer to the latest request, and complaining about excessive workload is easier than setting priorities, or reflecting about their relevance for the organization. It makes us occupied and people like that status, being the centre of attention, where people constantly ask them for assistance, information, or advice. If the pack is moving in one direction Strategic Leaders need to stop and ask themselves: Why are they (we) doing this?

Strategic leaders deal in different manners with requests and demands than their busy manager colleagues do. They need time to think and reflect. They look cool and relaxed giving the impression of being fully in control of the situation. Rather than simply responding to any issue that gets thrown at them, they handle their demands by:

-Designing a road map of how and when they want to achieve what in their jobs:

1.). For example, rather than keeping general goals in mind such as "sales increase " or "excellent after sales service," , that are no better than wishful thinking , they try to paint a general picture of how this objectives can be achieved, a vivid mental representation of your objectives that includes ways to achieve them. While reacting to demands can be distracting, the kind of personal road map that one needs to create should produce an up- side down effect: It allows us to align short term actions with the long term strategy, so that we can immediately point out our short term priorities and relate them with OUR vision and longer term planning. Such an approach is much more motivational and should produce better results as simply responding and reacting to demands and requests. 2.) Strategic Leadership means that you take a closer look at what you choose to do or not do. That way, you create space for actions that are vital for the organization rather than executing tasks you like or find most familiar or easy. It is important that you leave your comfort zone and try to get used to more unfamiliar tasks. It is therefore important that you as a Strategic leader develop your change management skills and competencies. Set priorities among your tasks, aligning your activities with your Personal Road Map.

3.) Practicing Time management also means monitoring the daily time we spent interacting with others. Reacting blindly and instantly to any demands that pops in is extremely time consuming and even exhausting as this means long lasting face to face discussions, telephone calls , etc. This is one of the main reasons why people complain about the multiple interruptions they face during a regular working day. Management is mostly about Team work, which means that a Strategic Leader must learn when, how and for how long one is available to spent time with his direct reports. We often spend more time then really needed with our direct reports, often because we want others to consider us a caring good boss by being always available. It is important that you provide them the feeling that you are there TO HELP THEM, ADVISE THEM, TO HEAR THEIR NEEDS AND SHARE THEIR CONCERNS, but this should not be at any time, any place and any time. Try to explain them that they have certain hours where Your door should be open for them , or if this is physically not possible due to space constraints ( Open space offices ), then try to get some reserved , restricted time for You to reflect and analyze.

4.) There are managers out there that constantly worry whether they are meeting others' expectations. They want to come under a good light at the group picture.

By trying to please everybody, these managers tend to get absorbed in speculations about what others expect, about the best way to meet those expectations, and the impact of not meeting them. The end result is that these managers fail, because in the quest of trying to please everybody they usually end up pleasing no one and ultimately do not find free time for following their one agenda. Strategic Leaders are aware that they can not meet every-ones expectations; instead they focus on their key stakeholders because these managers have the sensibility to know the influence these stakeholders have. Giving a strong and honest commitment to these key people implies having to say no to most of the less relevant ones. The biggest advantage of this strategy is that by focusing on these strategic stakeholders you can actively shape your actions according to the demands of these persons, and ideally will be to combine this strategy with being proactive. The attack is the best defence, action is better than reaction; Strategic Leaders present their own visions, projects and objectives before their Key Stakeholders come across and present their demands. This is a form of tailoring to your personal goals others expectations. Rather than arbitrarily building a relationship network with many individuals, Strategic Leaders, opposed to what most managers do, deliberately focus their time and effort on building strong and close ties with people who can influence the achievement of their objectives. This is a long term strategy that is based on the build up of solid long term relationships, and Strategic Leaders spend a lot of time developing their personal networks, not without a huge portion of true warmth, respect, and, even some friendship.

Henrique Pl?ger Abreu has a Master Degree in Business Administration. He has more than 20 Years of working Experience in Sales and Marketing as a B2B Consultant and Public Speaker. He is the President of the L.T.C. a non profit Organization.

Time Management Lessons from a 3 Year Old

Zak is my three-year old godson. He is the apple of my eye along with his sisters Carley and Brenna. I was watching him the other day as he was preparing to assume a self-proclaimed role of 'Master of the Universe' while playing a game with some of his friends. I marveled at how prepared he was and how his plan included alternatives if there were any 'problems' in the scheme of things. He was, in fact, more focused on achieving his goal than just about anyone I've ever seen.

Then it hit me?Zak was mentally organized. Maybe some of my teachings had rubbed off on him?but more than likely Zak was just being himself. Here's what an organized three-year old can teach us about improving our time management skills:

His goal was clear and he could see himself in the role he was about to create. He looked at some of the alternatives, decided what he wanted to do, who he wanted to be and began preparing himself. He was convinced that what he wanted was attainable and totally realistic and was clear that he was going to do something about it. Setting and envisioning goals is crucial for all of us.

He knew what was important. I didn't see Zak spend too much time with low pay-off activities. He was clear on what he needed to do first, before anything else, and then made sure it got done. He prioritized.

He had a plan. He moved forward with first things first, but if the plan didn't work he was fully prepared to temporarily shift activity until he got where he needed to be. He actually had a strategic plan and made decisions based on that plan.

He communicated. Yes, you can only imagine the excitement of children's voices, but is it any different than the frequency and types of interruptions and struggles in communication that you experience at work? He managed to keep everyone 'informed' and pointed in the right direction, even when some of the kids disagreed.

He took action. True, three year olds aren't always the most judicious group, but with his crown and scepter, right or wrong, he was moving forward to his goal. Sometimes what we do isn't popular, but it's important to getting the work done.

He delegated. Zak was more than happy to share with his friends what each should be doing and where they needed to be going. Trust me when I tell you that he let them know when they were 'off track'?but he also helped them with their assignments.

He reflected and adjusted. By the end of the game Zak did, in fact, become the 'Master of the Universe'. He was happy and satisfied that his plan had come together and almost immediately began thinking about what he needed to do the same and what he needed to do differently in the next 'universe'. No plan of action is ever complete unless you can reflect and assess on how to make it better in the future.

So if you would like to become master of your universe when it comes to time management, take a cue from this three-year old. You just never know what might happen.

Copyright 2004 Cynthia Kyriazis. All rights reserved.

Cynthia Kyriazis is a Professional Organizer, trainer, consultant, speaker, coach and author with over 20 years management experience in multi-unit corporations. She is President of Organize it, Inc., an organizational consulting firm serving Fortune 500 clients since 1995. Cynthia has worked with over 150 companies and hundreds of professionals to help improve performance in the areas of time, information, space and electronic file management.

Cynthia has appeared in the Philadelphia Inquirer, Kansas City Star and the Legal Intelligencer. She currently serves as Secretary on the Board of Directors for the National Association of Professional Organizers (NAPO), member of the National Speakers Association (NSA), member of International Society for Performance Improvement ? Kansas City chapter (ISPI-KC) and consultant to the American Coaching Association.

The Ultimate Virtual Reality

I used to think video game addictions were a joke and I'd laugh anytime anyone compared it to crack but is it really that funny? Let's make some comparisons.

? Crack consumes time that could have been invested more wisely ? video games consume time that could have been invested more wisely.

? Crack costs money ? video games cost money.

? Crack can ruin lives ? video games can ruin lives.

? Crack can ruin your health ? video games can ruin your health.

? Crack is addicting, meaning the more you do it the more you want it ? video games are addicting.

? Crack is a hardcore substance that infiltrates the body's chemical processes and becomes an external chemical addiction. Video games get the adrenaline pumping, which leads to a self-induced physical and mental addiction.

Many will laugh as they read this ? I want to laugh too! But video games and other forms of electronic entertainment are like giant vacuums sucking the time out of the ultimate reality ? life. Life in the "real world" is and will continue to be the pinnacle of existence. Yet as more and more virtual environments spring up and becomes more "real" ? more people will get hooked and escape from true world.

In my research I found a few sites that talked about their life running game addictions and some of the steps they took to solve the problem. In one dramatic example a gentleman took a Glock 17 9mm to his Civilization CD! http://www.logsdon.net/games/civ2.html

In another classic example a young Jeffrey Stark writes a passionate essay on how an online reality game has ruined 7 years of his life. He urges "Please watch your son closely. And if you really want to do him a favor, take the computer away, or delete his characters, delete the game, and take his EQ disc and break it. He WILL BE PISSED at you for like a month, but eventually, he will become a *normal* person. Its harsh, it's cruel, but I tell u what: when he looks back upon his life, he will thank you for doing so, as would I if my parents did this along time ago for me." The full essay: http://www.selfpsychology.org/_forum/0000014b.htm

What is so fun about video games?

My hypothesis is that in a virtual environment like video games we have more control over our virtual environments and shorter timelines to get feedback on our performance. We can also do things in the virtual world, without the consequences we'd normally face in public. This allows us to free our inhibitions and experience the excitement of dating without boundaries, running people over or shooting them on the streets ? like what you find in some of the most popular games on the market today.

It seems that human beings are hard wired with a carnal desire to be and do whatever we want ? without limits or without consequences. The real world spoils all that fun. The virtual world becomes an outlet for our wildest fantasies. Whether it be commanding an army for the glory of Rome or playing the role of a mob hit man. The excitement also becomes compounded with online gaming. The challenge of matching wits with other players makes the gaming experience even more intense. The brain loves a challenge ? and one where a strategy can be applied with almost instantaneous feedback (a few hours or so) is almost too good to pass up. It becomes a problem when these hours are stacked on top of each other for days on end and other more important time investments suffer.

The Time Vacuum

The time vacuum exists when there's nothing to fill it. Video games are a motivating filler of the time vacuum. T.V. and other forms of idle entertainment also play a role. All forms of entertainment are not bad. And engaging your time in leisure is not negative. But a real question of value comes up when a consistent time investment yields only a short-term reward.

Have you asked yourself the value of your time investments?

Ask yourself if the time you invest in your game, television show, or movie is going to affect your life tomorrow in a positive way? Are you investing in the future or are you simply killing time. Most time investments are like candy for the mind - sweet at the time but stupid in the long run.

What can you do that's enjoyable today and also has a more positive impact in the long run?

? Invest your time in your passions. Your passions should fuel the actions that lead you to the vision of your future. If you don't have a clear vision ? that's where your time investment should start. (See Rules for Goal Setting)

? Read books today that are applicable tomorrow.

? Make a list of activities you would consider entertainment and evaluate them in terms of current enjoyment and long term value. Even put many new things in this list you have never even done before. Experiencing new things can be fun! Life is an experience ? soak it up. This step alone will significantly improve your life in the long run.

These alternate activities should be motivating enough to give you a twinge of excitement when you think about spending time on them. They are the things you'll immediately bring into your mind when you find that you have free time. You don't want to get distracted and just do what sounds fun. You want to evaluate the activities you'll have fun doing ahead of time. Now this might seem to contradict spontaneity but in truth ? going out on the weekends to watch a band play or a comedian can still be valuable activities for your social growth. You should just know in advance where you will permit your time to be invested and where you will not. This requires logical evaluation reinforced by a commitment and decisive action. Knowing what you want out of life and what you're absolutely willing to do to get there is perhaps the best remedy for all forms of time waste. Darwin once said, "Anyone who dares waste one hour of life has not discovered the true value of life."

This article is part of the James Rick Daily Vitamin by James Rick, a daily blog that merges our understanding of spirit with the physical world. James Rick is author of Full Potential, a revolutionary guide to mastering your life in stages. He is also a motivational speaker, entrepreneur, and CEO of two international ventures.

More can be learned at <a target="_new" href="http://www.jamesrick.com">JamesRick.com</a>.

Time Mastery vs. Time Management - Knowing the Difference

How much time do you spend on Mastering Your Time? I don't mean managing time. There is quite a difference between managing and mastering your use of time. The goal of managing your time is to be more efficient, to squeeze more productivity out of your day. There are a lot of benefits to being a good time manager, especially in a rushed and frenetically paced culture.

The goal of mastering your time, however, is to live better, to savor your time?. which is just another word for your Life.

If you accept that your time is non-renewable, precious, then it makes sense to take this most valuable personal resource seriously, and devote to it the attention it deserves. Look at Time Mastery as a way of actually lightening your load ? even if it paradoxically takes a little bit of time to lighten up.

Here's one approach to Mastery: Each morning, use some time to plan your time. That is, picture your day ? what you want to accomplish, what things are urgent and what things can wait, what preparations it would be useful to make, and a high priority is to focus on what pleasures you are anticipating. Those events and activities that emerge from this review which are most important go into your scheduler first, and everything else must fit around them. That way, as you move through your day, you'll know what can be relegated to low priority; you'll know what requests to honor and which to refuse.

By spending a very few minutes in focused concentration each morning, you can prevent the tendency we all have to allow our time to be appropriated by others. Once you know what is necessary and desirable for now, it is easier to recognize the un-necessary and un-desirable, then eliminate the drip drip drip that adds up to an erosion of your non-renewable day.

In short, using those few minutes in the morning to get clear is a small investment that helps you throughout the day to avoid the lost moments here and there that add up to a great chunk of time - your life. Even better, a little planning helps you focus on making sure every day includes something to savor.

Judith Schwader, the Time Guide, is the creator and publisher of Time Mastery, an e-zine focused on the philosophy and practice of living in abundance through a conscious use of time. To find additional guiding articles and subscribe to her FREE e-zine, visit <A target="_new" href="http://www.masteringyourtime.com/">www.masteringyourtime.com</A>.

Keeping YOUR Calendar Full

When do you want to make time for a networking group?

One of the most valuable tools you have is your calendar. This tool actually rules how you conduct your day. If you take control of your calendar, you will actually be able to control most of what happens to you at work (and at home). You need to spend a small amount of time each day reviewing your calendar for the next 5 working days. Yes, you will have appointments beyond 5 days but the most important ones will be in the next few days. You should always plan your calendar so that it fits your travel and administrative time. A calendar cannot just be appointments and meetings, you must also schedule when the actual work of putting together a proposal or servicing a customer will take place. The calendar should also include "down time" for you to catch your breath, and don't forget that you need to keep up with the latest business developments in your niche.

A person that is not able to control their calendar will find that each day has a new challenge, how to get everything done in 12 hours or less. Quite often this challenge is never conquered unless the calendar is controlled by careful planning. You must plan your networking meetings and also plan to follow up and send out information you have promised. A good calendar will allow you to make better business relationships.

Planning is one of the keys to successful businesses. The plan does not have to be elaborate; it simply has to show you what your daily limitations are and also what extra "emergency" time you have built in. For example, some doctors will build in a little slack time for drop-ins or emergencies. They know ahead of time that there is a good chance that this will happen, and if it does not, then other things will fill in the void. Part of your planning should also include time when you can help others, and so maybe you have time to receive help too, occasionally!

Bette Daoust, Ph.D. has been networking with others since leaving high school years ago. Realizing that no one really cared about what she did in life unless she had someone to tell and excite. She decided to find the best ways to get people's attention, be creative in how she presented herself and products, getting people to know who she was, and being visible all the time. Her friends and colleagues have often dubbed her the &quot;Networking Queen&quot;. Blueprint for Networking Success: 150 ways to promote yourself is the first in this series. Blueprint for Branding Yourself: Another 150 ways to promote yourself is planned for release in 2005. For more information visit <a target="_new" href="http://www.BlueprintBooks.com">http://www.BlueprintBooks.com</a>

How Can I Get Some Time to Myself?

&quot;I never seem to have any time for myself. What can I do?&quot;

When my two year old followed me to the toilet today I had very similar thought to yours. As busy parents we can often feel like there is no time for us and we are forever running around after others. We can be great at looking after everyone else and so often put ourselves at the bottom of the list.

Many of the mums I coach are surprised when I tell them it is time to start putting themselves first. If you are running on half full this affects every area of your life - your relationships, health or work ? and without doubt how good you feel about looking after your children.

I'm sure you will have noticed that when you're happy your children are happy too so for the next week make this a priority.

Write a list of all the things that you would like to do for yourself. What is the one thing you have been putting off? These can be simple things from calling a friend without being disturbed to booking a haircut, taking a bath or reading the magazine you bought a month ago.

Choose at least one thing that you are going to over the next week and actually write down when you are going to do it. Put down the date and the time when you are going to make this happen. If you need someone to look after the children for a few hours, call them now. Or at least firmly plan how you are going to ensure your time is your own.

Enjoy this time that you have created for yourself and you will be amazed at the results! Let me know how you get on.

Debbie Lewis is a specialist parent coach who regularly contributes on parenting issues to national and regional media including Channel 5's Trisha Goddard Show.

She has worked for over ten years with adults and children in a broad range of jobs including nanny and parenting consultant.

Debbie is professionally trained in parenting skills, child development and family assessment and a registered member of The Parenting and Education Support Forum, The General Social Care Council, an NLP Practitioner and accredited life coach.

Procrastination. Id love to but...

When a good friend asked me to contribute a little something for her newsletter it seemed like a great idea. When I cleared the decks and sat down to write it seemed a great time to color-code my closet or whip up a crab casserole. As an enthusiastic writer, who has nevertheless had writing blocks which have lasted longer than some World Wars, this business of avoiding doing something that I really want to do has always mystified me.

As a Life Coach I learned that the classic coaching take on this was that I have an agenda other than actually writing and finishing a piece. I am avoiding doing something I think I want to do because I don't really want to do it. This is often the explanation I give to my clients when they 'fess up to not taking actions which are so clearly needed in their lives.

"What do you really want?" I ask them. "What would happen if you didn't take the action?" And the biggie. "What is your expected outcome?"

Because it's occurred to me more than once that my foot-dragging over an activity directly correlates to the attachment I have to its outcome. If I don't have much energy invested in how something turns out I can either do it or not do it. If something is important to me, especially if it reflects something about me or gives an impression of myself to the world (like writing or keeping a sparkling clean house), I'll create avoidance or stress around it.

So the lesson for today is this. When you find yourself putting something off notice what you are doing. Awareness is key. Many of us aren't even aware of our lack of awareness. If you're procrastinating be aware that you are working with something which is important to you.

Be grateful that you have things to do in your life which are important to you. Put all else aside and do it immediately to the best of your ability. Be aware of what the doing of the task has taught you.

Then you can go back to matching your socks and alphabetizing your recipes.

Mary Rosendale is a Life Coach who works on a large canvas. Her clients are people in change in many ways. She specializes in life and career transitions and loves working with people who are moving out of their comfort zone to take on new perspectives, transitions and lifestyles.

Visit <a target="_new" href="http://www.theconstructedlife.com">http://www.theconstructedlife.com</a>