Time to stop firefighting and start leading
We all know what it’s like when you’re flat out at work. Everything else seems to take a back seat, as you put your head down and battle with an ever growing to do list, combined with the usual challenges and opportunities in running a business.
As a manager it’s all too easy to get embroiled in dealing with the day-to-day stuff. Often you can find yourself doing tasks that you shouldn’t because it’s quicker, and in some cases easier, than explaining it to someone else. This is particularly true if you are coping with a lack of resources, or have recently been promoted to manage people and are struggling to know when and how to delegate when faced with pressing deadlines.
Juggling act
Whilst pitching in and being part of the team is tempting, there are many downsides. These include growing levels of frustration, becoming distracted, loss of productivity/performance, time management issues and of course feeling overwhelmed. It may even leave you doubting your own abilities, as managing becomes a constant juggling act, where everything seems out of your control and the rewards are few and far between.
As a manager it’s vital for your own growth and self-development that you learn how to:
Let go of jobs
Better manage your time
Create learning opportunities for yourself and your team
Empower others to take ownership and responsibility with no fear of reprisals
Challenge people to take up the slack and feel confident in making decisions
Reflect, take stock, think and plan
Give yourself time
Time is an essential weapon against reactive management. When you create more time, you give yourself space to plan, and to anticipate problems.
That’s where coaching can help. By giving you the necessary space, you will be able to gain perspective on your performance, grow your confidence and feel happier. This will allow you to make progress, move forwards and become more successful in your role.
Work on, rather than in, the business
By giving yourself permission to work on the business, rather than in the business, you can take a more holistic and long-term view of resources, skills, operational methods and scheduling, so you can be objective about what’s happened, what’s happening and what’s coming up.
Through a more considered and proactive approach you will be able to:
Plan and prioritise
Refine and improve systems and processes
Support staff learning, training and development
Communicate more effectively
Feel more in control
Develop a culture of problem solving and fixing issues at the source
Tackle situations and actions in a methodical and efficient way
How I can help
If you’d like some help so you can find time for vital self-development, please get in touch. I can support you through bespoke one-to-one coaching, or guidance, to enable you to put an end to firefighting and become the leader you want to be.