Image by rawpixel from Pixabay

 

Managers, especially new managers, risk burnout from not managing their time effectively.

New managers are naturally ambitious, but succumb to burnout because they try to do-it-all in performing their personal duties as well as in managing others.

It’s best to learn the important concept of displacement and how to say no at work. Displacement means if you’re doing one task it prevents you from doing another.

Prioritize A, B or C

When you get a request or project, prioritize its effect on your staff and company – starting with big-picture goals and responsibilities.

Judge if it’s of low importance, so visualize its importance. If it isn’t unimportant, put it in the C category or just say “no.”

Normally, you’ll need to decide on the seriousness, urgency, productivity and growth as they impact your organization.

Delegation 

Many new managers don’t yet understand the intricacies of delegation, which is an important part of leadership. Delegation is a fundamental driver of organizational growth.

Managers who use best practices in employee delegation are more effective in leadership.

Twelve-hour workdays don’t usually help the company succeed nor is it conducive for a balanced personal or family life.

If you’re just launching your career in management in a small company or in your own startup, it’s usually best to wait in starting a family until it’s obvious you’re on your way.

Be careful about meetings

Many meetings are a time-waster.

Make certain a meeting has an agenda. If you have the option to decide whether to attend, determine whether you can add or learn something from the meeting.

If you’re scheduling a meeting, have an agenda. Plan to engage your employees in energetic, inspiring staff meetings to improve performance.

Sometimes people in business need a creative place at which to have productive conversations that are in out-of-the-ordinary locations.

Perhaps you have an employee whom you need to counsel. Or you have a peer that needs encouragement. For discussions on difficult issues, try walking meetings.

Hiring employees is expensive. So it’s important to use the right tactics in probation meetings for new employee success.

If you’re responsible for client relationships, you need to make certain they thank you regularly, pay your invoices promptly, and respond well to your recommendations.

If they don’t, strategize for effective client meetings.

Regularly evaluate your schedule

It’s important to audit your calendar and do some fine-tuning when necessary.

You’ll find that some meetings or activities are no longer relevant. That’s why it helps to look at your calendar before the start of the month.

Decide which duties are no longer appropriate or are a time-waster for you personally. Again, delegation might be applicable for some activities.

Also, budget time for activities that are necessary on which you might tend to procrastinate or overlook.

Make lists

Don’t make the mistake of being put in the position of being a slave to your email inbox or always having to put out fires that could have been prevented.

Be assertive. Plan your schedule.

Again, prioritize A, B or C. Incorporate your projects, goals, and tasks.

And depending on your responsibilities and sector, categorize your lists and line them up horizontally. Bundle projects that are related in one way or another.

By late Thursday every week, you should be able to know your plans for the following week.

Make your job fun with “blue-sky” thinking

It’s boring and a beginning to burnout, if you omit fun. Build fun into your plans – work that you’d love to do.

You’ll enjoy more energy and inspiration. Remember in this day and age, it takes discipline to create fun, too.

From the Coach’s Corner, here are relevant management tips:

So You Finally Got Your First Management Job? Now What? – There are 10 principles every new manager needs to know and use.

For Best Performance, Inspire Employees with Non-Financial Rewards — Money talks, of course, and is a way to motivate employees. But money is not always the chief motivator. Here’s why with some ideas.

7 Management Tips – Communication with Difficult Employees – Multiple problems including loss of profit results from ineffectively dealing with difficult employees. Here are seven Biz Coach tips.

Management – How to Improve Accountability in Your Company – If business and tepid growth have affected your outlook, take a look at your human resources and consider a couple of questions. If you don’t like your answer, here are eight solutions.

Management: 5 Most Common Reasons to Fire Employees – With difficult employees, you have two obvious problems – the impacts on your organization and the behavior of the individual. Here’s what to do.

Why Women Are Better Prepared than Men for Management – Many women are better prepared as managers because they have emotional intelligence — a desired characteristic for successful management. Here’s why.

“Good management consists in showing average people how to do the work of superior people.”

-John D. Rockefeller

__________

Author Terry Corbell has written innumerable online business-enhancement articles, and is a business-performance consultant and profit professional. Click here to see his management services. For a complimentary chat about your business situation or to schedule him as a speaker, consultant or author, please contact Terry.