Week 5

15. Learning to Concentrate and Manage Your Time

16. Establishing Goals and Planning

17. Setting Priorities

Clemmer Reading – Keep it Simple Narrow the must-do list to 3 or 4 items. Make your imperatives measurable. Have

a clear target. Focus all key systems and processes on

this handful of imperatives. (Do the activities have value?)

Ensure the improvements matter.

Don’t jump around – Make sure you accomplish the imperative, “Git ‘er done”

Week 5 Learning Outcomes

Describe ten barriers to concentration and eight steps to improve concentration.

Describe 12 ways to make you meetings more productive.

Explain the use of a Gantt chart. Explain how to tie department goals to

organization wide plans. Explain the importance of setting priorities

and three benefits to setting goals. Explain the ABC method of setting

priorities.

Concentration Concentration is purposeful

Focus your mental attention on a chosen project while you temporarily ignore matters of less importance.

You decide to engage in concentration You remain concentrating until you have

the best solution you are capable of reaching.

Anyone can learn this skill

Eliminating Distractions Often necessary to isolate yourself for a period of time

BARRIERS TO CONCENTRATION include: Telephone calls Interruptions by employees or co-workers Noise Preoccupation on another matter Lack of training in how to concentrate Low tolerance of frustration Lack of motivation Procrastination Fatigue or stress A “to-heck-with-it” attitude Problems and demands at home Emails

How to Concentrate Select a time and Limit your time

Avoid mental fatigue Establish rules for interruptions Divide and conquer big projects.  Visualize the process – Powerful tool

Special Forces Training - walking through the problem

Memory Aid When you Concentrate:

You Project a professional image Decisive Better communicator Clear thinker Reputation for getting things done

Eight Steps to Success1. Isolate yourself.  [location free of distraction]

2. Review the situation.  Research, ask questions, probe others for their advice

3. Give yourself a time limit.  [You don’t need as long as you think]

4. Outline [pencil and paper]

5. List all options. 

6. Weigh and decide.  

7. Make a decision or complete the project.  

8. When you find yourself procrastinating on an important project, take action. [A less than perfect decision is better than no decision at all]

Managing Your Time When you learn to manage your

time You will be less frustrated You will have the time you need to

prepare for the future You will achieve a better work-life

balance

How to Manage Your Time Change your attitude about time Delegate more Look for and take shortcuts Group tasks together Cut down on interruptions

Make Meetings More EfficientClass Experiences

1. Do not call a staff meeting unless it is necessary.

2. Have a specific goal or purpose to accomplish, and announce it before you begin the meeting. Prepare an agenda and submit it in advance.

3. Ensure that attendees know their roles and how to participate and that they arrive prepared.

4. Do not include any item that can be covered more efficiently outside meeting time.

5. Keep the meeting as short as possible. Set a firm, but realistic timeframe. Hold to it and then go on to the next item.

6. Use care in selecting the location of the meeting to avoid distractions and interruptions.

7. If a group decision is involved, get as much participation as possible.

8. Seek alternatives to any decision proposed so that the final decision is the best one.

9. Keep the meeting upbeat and energetic.

10. Enjoy a little laughter.11. Use the meeting to demonstrate

your leadership.12. Conduct a personal evaluation so

that you can do even better the next time.

Leaderskilz – Meeting Hijacker

Establishing Goals and PlanningChapter 16

“People are more motivated to change when they have participated in planning the change.”

Cliff Goodwin

The Importance of Planning

You want to make things happen not let them happen. “Don’t sweat the small stuff” is a MYTH The devil IS in the details Rubber Balls vs Glass Balls

Controlling matters when they are less urgent and small is much easier

Projects that go off the rails result in countless emergencies, loose ends, and a constant stream of directing and guiding the activities of others.

You appear disorganized and distracted to management and your employees

Nobody likes to work for an unorganized supervisor. Keep the end in mind

If you communicate expectations to your staff, they can self correct many issues on their own

Successful Planning Establish a methodology Keep your plans simple

Break down complex parts into smaller parts

Daily, track your progress and adjust Establish your own goals and hold

people accountable

Planning The Gantt Bar Chart - Henry L.

Gantt, a project is many interlocking projects dependent upon each other

Critical Path Method

Using Computers Supervisors must be computer literate

Shared Calendars Ability to use and manipulate a

spreadsheet is a must Ability to generate graphics

Use of database queries and project Management Software Very nice to know

Use of management information system – canned reports vs custom queries

Do you use a process that you have to keep paper and use a computer?

Case: PlanningP. 245 (Class Discussion)

Gerald uses an elaborate system of daily, weekly, and long-term goals for himself. He uses a personal computer at home for both personal and business purposes. He believes that organization is the best form of personal discipline and that goal setting is the most motivating thing a person can do. Each night, before he leaves work, he writes all of his goals for the following day on a desk pad. He spends some time each weekend at home setting goals. He always submits a complex plan to his superiors, and always on time. He gets satisfaction from checking off a written goal when it has been accomplished.

Yolanda’s approach is flexible and unstructured. She does not follow any specific formula, and she never writes anything down. Rather, she keeps a changing master plan in her mind. She constantly revises it when driving on the freeway or while relaxing at home. She claims that it takes too much time to prepare a written plan, that upper management ignores most of the plans submitted, and that changes make them obsolete almost immediately. She also believes that too much structure keeps one from being creative and flexible.

Discuss: Do you support Gerald or Yolanda? Defend your position. Would you recommend a compromise? Explain.

RSA Motivation Video clip narrated by Dan Pink

Setting PrioritiesChapter 17

Clarify PurposePIGS and WIGS Excalibur Resort and

Casino, Las Vegas - CEO Renee West

Ask any employee what the WIG is

Keep them in the Castle Know the Company

Mission and Core Values

Establish your own for your team and yourself

Goals, Objectives, and Plans “A goal is a dream with a deadline.” If Point A is your current state Then Point B [desired state] is your goal

Objectives are actions you take to move to Point B It may take many objectives to get to Point B Objectives are measurable Training will almost always be an objective Obstacles are expected therefore plan around

them while avoiding visible frustration

Goals, Objectives, and Plans

Employees often resist change Why – because they are left out of the planning

Involve employees in planning if the changes affect their work or routine

Waiting to involve them at the implementation stage is almost always a mistake

Benefits to setting goals include: Greater organization Increased Self-Confidence Better Communication Meeting your deadlines

Stuck On Stupid – Goal of Hurricane Planning 8/29/2005 and 9/26/2005

Criteria for Setting Priorities First yardstick: the measure of

relevance and value. “What is the best use of my time right now?” Planning

Second yardstick: the measure of timeliness and immediacy. “What commands my attention right now?” Deadlines Emergencies Avoid inconsequential emails, groundless

employee complaints, projects that don’t contribute to long-term goals, and frivolous activities

Third yardstick: Your personal judgment

The ABC Method of Sorting Things Out Priority A: “must do” items that are critical. Priority B: “should do” items without

critical deadlines involved. Priority C: “fun to do” or “when I have

time” items that can be saved for slack periods.

If you have 3 pages of todo, you need ABC

The ABC Method of Sorting Things Out Eight questions to help set priorities:1. If I deal with this problem first, will it automatically solve others

later?2. If I deal with this problem first, will it delay the solution of another

that will eventually cause severe damage to productivity or my career?

3. If I delay action on this problem, will it solve itself?4. What can I delegate on my list so that I can get to more serious

problems sooner?5. Will taking care of this small problem first free my mind to take care

of my number one problem later?6. What tasks must I complete quickly so that I will not hold up the

schedule of other people or other departments?7. Can I group a few things together and save time by solving them all

at once?8. Is the time psychologically right to take a problem up with my boss,

or should I wait for a more appropriate time?

Advantages of a Written List

1. Writing a list is a form of self-discipline. You are better organized and less likely to waste time.

2. You won’t forget - which can get one into trouble with superiors. Don’t trust you memory

3. Checking off items is a personal reward system.

Priorities Keeping Priority List Flexible

A priority list is not static Effective Priority Setting

Give priority to any problem that is rendering you ineffective as a supervisor.

Do not focus only on your top-priority task. Some problems become so complicated that an immediate solution is impossible.

Group goals into a meaningful sequence. Do not push what should be a high-priority item to the bottom

of your list because of fear. Oscillating back and forth from one priority to another is

unwise.

Marcum Report on WL Failure of Supervision Marcum LLP review of the Windsor Locks Police response Fatal MVA off-duty Officer Michael Koistinen on October 29-30, 2010

who struck and killed 15 year old Henry Dang. 11:58 pm Friday night October 29th, the first 911 call was received. Windsor Locks Police and the regional North Central Municipal

Accident Reconstruction Squad (“NCMARS”) responded to the accident scene.

On Monday, November 1, 2010, per order of the Hartford County State Attorney, the Connecticut State Police assumed responsibility for the accident investigation.

Later discovered that Michael Koistinen was drinking during the evening prior to the accident. He was charged with a number of criminal statute violations.

No officers interviewed Michael Koistinen on the night of the accident and no alcohol testing was conducted as is required by law.

Review covers actions immediately after the accident. No review any of the circumstances leading up to the accident.