Press Picks up on Slow Leadership

Harvey Schachter has an interesting article in The Globe and Mail (a leading Canadian newspaper) for December 26th, in which he picks up a posting from this site about the usefulness of trust in cutting a leader's workload.

He also quotes some practical ways to cut back on unnecessary work thought up by a range of people. Here are a few, but it's worth reading the whole article.

"To reduce overwork, organizations must shift their structure away from silos, with staff operating in networks. Individuals would be assigned tasks by projects; reporting would be streamlined; meetings would only be held when necessary; and managers would be recognized for cutting outmoded tasks as well as shaving expenses." (From entrepreneur and journalist David Batstone)

SAVED BY THE BELL: Business coach Karl Ruegg suggests bringing an old-fashioned alarm clock to the next meeting that you run. Tell everyone: "This meeting will last 45 minutes. When the alarm clock rings, I'm out of here."

AVOID CHATTY CATHYS: Consultant Kenneth Zeigler says you can gain time and improve productivity by recognizing who interrupts you the most and taking your lunch hour opposite their break, so you are working steadily when they are gone.

SMOOTH SEGUE: When you are trapped in a phone call that doesn't relate to the business at hand, slip in a segue to the reason the person called: "It sounds like you are having a busy day, so I don't want to take up any more of your time. What can I do for you?"