Using Time to Your Advantage

In our present and modern world of independent and complex societies, the best results come from collaborating with many other people. We are not self-sufficient.

Use of time is therefore not the main resource as it used to be during the industrial era, in this world slaving away is less useful than having a bright idea and exploiting it. Time anxiety is unnecessary and self-defeating.

A recent survey of hours worked and productivity in the thirty-four member states of the OECD shows that the three countries in Europe where people work the longest hours (Greece, Hungary and Poland, in that order) rank almost bottom in terms of productivity (26th., 33rd. and 34th. respectively). By contrast, the three countries whose citizens work the fewest hours (Netherlands, Germany and Norway, in that order) do very well in terms of productivity (ranking 5th., 7th. and 2nd. respectively).

Ask yourself – what is more valuable, a lifetime of backbreaking work in the fields or inventing the harvester?

The value of time, like everything else, can also be explained by the 80/20 principle. Less than 20 percent of total time worked leads to far more than 80 percent of wealth creation.

A month of Albert Einstein’s life created a great deal more than most people are likely to achieve in a lifetime.

Therefore, value is not related to time, but to ideas, collaboration and intent.

Valuable Managers are those who are creative, promote collaboration and act on those ideas. 

However, most Managers are still trapped in the use of time paradox as the index of output where quantity of work trumps quality and speed trumps reflection. Most intriguing of all, they like it this way. Sounds familiar?

Managers need to look within themselves:

1. Their first priority is to identify the most valuable aspects of your work.
2. Then you need the freedom and self-confidence to focus on those areas and ignore everything else.
3. Most of all, you need the temperament and discipline to think before you act, to resist distractions and to work only on those vital matters that are truly worthwhile. 

There are two type of Managers:

• The majority type, which are desperately busy, suffering the never enough time syndrome, they are harassed with trivial matters and endless meetings and emails, they are stressed, multitask constantly without focus, they get in early to work and go home late.
• The Time-Rich Manager, the ones who breeze into the office with a smile on their face, promote collaboration and creativity, focus on issues that matter to their clients, the company and themselves, they think and plan carefully and with focus,are at ease and satisfied when they go home (usually at a reasonable hour).

How to Be Successful Using Simplicity

The best business strategies are always simple:  bringing business to its core customers, deepening relationships with them and providing them only the products they want. Companies win when they focus on simplicity.

Complexity is the other opposite of simplicity, and as surprising as it may sound most Managers tend to like complexity rather than use simplicity as a strategy: most tend to extend product lines, look for marginal customers, new projects, different marketing methods, etc.

Now, to be fair, in any large company, as in the world at large, most things are not naturally simple. You have to make them simple.

Therefore, not everything can be made simple, but you can concentrate on the few important things where simplicity is most likely to make you and your company successful. Target the problems that you suspect will have simple solutions (the feasible ones).

Simplicity is a combination of art with cost reduction -  providing the most exciting product or service at the most affordable cost. Apple, for example, was so successful due to the concept of simplicity. Henry Ford did the same for cars, Eastman did it for photography.

Simplicity requires a deep understanding of a product’s core essence. At the hearth of simplicity lies accessibility.

The essence of simplification is grasping what is and what is not important in a complex picture – make it recognizable and easy to understand or use.

The mark of a great leader is someone who simplifies in such a way that his or her listeners grasp one powerful conclusion and then act on it.

In order to simplify a Manager has to:

• Focus
• Define the core essence of your business (product, customer, cost)
• Establish a simple goal at a time.
• Avoid distractions outside of the established goal
• Standardize
• Automatize
• Have people you can trust rather than processes to follow

The Truth About Success and Leadership

One of the greatest freedoms each of us has, is the freedom to choose how we view our roles in the world and the power we all have to make positive decisions in whatever conditions we happen to find ourselves.

That freedom allows us to give nothing best, than the very best. The commitment of doing the very best, works wonders in people's life in the sense that it provides an energy that makes people feel good about themselves and be successful.

Success doesn't just happen because someone's stars line up, it happens because of intelligent choices we have chosen to make, success is consciously created, a conscious choice. It's a guaranteed result that comes from commitment.

What's most important is how you see yourself, knowing who you are, knowing the value of work, challenge yourself - which makes your life and work meaningful. You need to own how great you are. Never play victim, it's impossible to build a tribute of success on a foundation of excuses.

Leadership without title is about having an unshakable faith in your vision and unrelenting confidence in your power. Titles bring power but if the title is taken away, the power gets lost - on the other hand Leaders without title never loose the power they have within (natural leadership power).

• Everyone of us alive has the power to go to work each day and express the absolute best within us. And you need no title to do that.
• Everyone of us alive today has the power to influence, inspire and elevate each person you meet. And you need no title to do that.
• Everyone of us alive today can passionately drive positive change in the face of negative conditions. And you need no title to do that.
• Everyone of us alive today can treat others with respect, appreciation and kindness. And you need no title to do that.

Each one of us has a Leadership switch within us  - it's up to us not only to recognize it, but to also flip the switch - it's a switch between victimhood or leadership.