FAQs for Leadership - November - Project Overwhelm
One Friday each month I dedicate the post to looking at some questions I have heard recently from developing leaders. Sharing those questions and my thoughts for them is a way for me to spread the information to as many leaders and future leaders as possible. If you have a question about leadership or just a situation you would like some additional insight on, please email me at Effective Retail Leader. Let’s take a look at this week’s question.
I don’t feel like I have enough time to spend with my team or completing store visits? How can I make this better?
As a District Manager or any level multi-unit leader it is so easy to feel as though all of the other projects that come up keep us from the things that we think are most important - developing our team and spending time with them in their locations. In such a busy environment, how do you keep up, or at least maintain a balance?I hate to be a broken record, but it comes back to planning. I will admit that as much I discuss its importance, I still have to work very hard to keep planning a priority for me. I say that only to stress that it is not easy, but it is a necessity. Many times the act of preparing along relieves the stress that comes with realizing how much there is to do. Establishing a block of time each week to look ahead is critical to fighting the battle of overwhelm.
Time Blocking
One method that can be very helpful for building a routine and habit for planning is time blocking. Depending on how well you use your calendar for your scheduling, this can be easier or harder. If you work closely with your calendar, this can be a bit easier as it will be staring you in the face when it is time to ‘meet with yourself and plan.’ If you are not used to using a calendar, it may be a little more difficult as you will need to build it as a habit. In either case, for your weekly planning session, I recommend making it the same time each week. Connect it to another activity you do (like every Sunday morning just after I wake up, I will plan this week for 30 minutes). This is especially helpful when you are not an ardent calendar user as you have it tied to a cue (waking up) so you can then enter your ‘routine’ after that cue occurs.
More Time Blocking
Use blocks of time for specific activities. Set aside an hour on Monday morning to make phone calls to your team. Leave the computer closed, and make the calls you need to make. I would even go so far as to say have a plan for your calls. Use your task manager or a simple reminders tool to write the names of those you’ll call and be sure to check them off as you make your calls. You will see the progress you’re making along the way, and you’ll have a completed list after you make your final call. I promise it will feel good and it will serve as encouragement for the next time you need to do.Block your times for your specific store visits. Depending on the tools you already have for your visit process, include what you want to accomplish with each visit as part of your plan. This will ensure your visits have a purpose. You can complete a lot more with a well-planned visit, versus the ones you ‘just show up’ for. Build in space for the time it takes to recap, review, and record the time in the store. The best time to do that is at the end of the visit before you leave that location and move on to the next thing. Build that time into your schedule. As much as we all hope to have time when we get back to the hotel or home for the day to finish our visit notes or follow up items, something always gets in the way. That will reduce the burden you feel to get that information out of your head and to your team in a timely fashion. Closing out the visit should mean fully closing out the visit - notes and all.Time blocking is a flexible strategy for helping to manage your time. I encourage any of you that may find yourself in a similar situation to give it a try. You can make the adjustments that work for you, but I believe having a starting point at the beginning of each week where the key priorities go will help you stay on track for getting to more stores and spending additional time with your team.Join other retail leaders in continuing their development journey with Effective Retail Leader.com. SUBSCRIBE today to receive leadership tips directly to your inbox and monthly newsletters that provide many tools to help further develop your leadership skills. JOIN NOW!No spam ever - just leadership goodness.