The Untouchable Executive Calendar

Rarely does a day go by when I don’t encounter an important business executive making questionable decisions about scheduling priorities. Sometimes, it’s the executive’s administrative assistant who is the culprit; other times, it’s the executive himself or herself. Consider what is at stake. An executive’s most valuable personal business asset is time. Using time toward the highest priority initiatives every day may be the most important of all competencies in executive effectiveness. Yet, this is virtually never discussed or stressed and, to my knowledge, is not included in executive development programs or thought about as an aspect of performance.
Just look at a typical executive’s calendar and this point becomes clear. How many meetings and conference calls are really on the critical path? How much time is reserved for good strategic thought? Why is this? The answer is discipline, or more specifically lack of it. We all too easily confuse hard work with effective work. In fact, even the most effective executives are probably about only 50% focused on the right things. Imagine the productive power that could be unleashed were this number to increase significantly.
There are also specific kinds of activities that are notorious for derailing executives’ focus. At the top of this list is “the big deal,” which often becomes all absorbing to the exclusion of other critical things. Another frequent culprit is spending too much time on operations rather than strategic thinking. Paradoxically, spending too much time on strategy can also be the culprit.
This issue needs to be addressed systemically from entry level employees through the CEO. The right Career Development Center can bring this needed focus to a company’s efforts at developing leaders, growing talent and shaping culture.
More to come. …