Leadership Hacks to Improve Performance

It’s difficult to keep up with the speed at which information and decisions are moving in our technology-driven world. This has created a new range of challenges for us when trying to execute strategic plans in these fast-paced environments. This has intensified the dilemma of having too much to do in too little time, with many people feeling a sense of overwhelming as they look for new ways of doing things.

Leadership Hacks: A faster approach for a faster world

A leadership hack is anything that helps you (or your people) accomplish more in less time. This can include:

·      Shortcuts that many not be commonly known

·      Simplified steps to make a task easier to do

·      Fast-track processes that speed things up

·      Any approach that simplifies and speeds up a task

To accomplish more you need to hack your current approach with new ways of thinking and influencing that will enable you to do more in less time.

Individual Leadership Hacks maximise your performance

A common pattern for many people is to constantly check and recheck their inbox, which fragments focus and can also interfere with decision making. Resist this temptation.

Take the time to turn off notifications and if you really need to focus on completing a task, put the mobile phone in the drawer, you can check it when you are finished. Increase the speed of going through your inbox by using these 4 steps. 1) Quickly scan through your inbox to get a quick understanding of the emails, 2) Delete the emails that are not necessary, 3) Sort the remaining emails by importance, and 3) Respond accordingly. This is a simple hack that can allow you to clear your inbox in less time and help you stay focused. 

One on one Leadership Hacks empower direct report performance

Let’s be honest there are tasks that you should delegate that you hold onto. 

Many of us don’t delegate because we do not want to take the time or don’t trust the abilities of that person. A Harvard Business Review article titled ‘Why aren’t you delegating?’ found that almost 50% of companies were concerned about the delegation abilities of their people and most did not offer any training on how to delegate.  A delegation hack could change this dynamic into one that empowers an individual and frees up time for the leader.

Invest 10-15 minutes to work with the individual to create a 1 page plan. Rather than tell them what you want them to do, start by asking them what they think the steps should be and guide them. Capture what they share on an ipad or piece of paper to ensure understanding. Once the steps are identified, ask them what order should be taken in executing the steps and mentor them toward the most efficient method. To finalise the delegation hack schedule a couple of check-ins where they will update you and show you their progress. 

By implementing a number of leadership hacks, you can fast-track your performance and accomplish more in less time.