Every go-getter, entrepreneur, or manager in an organization has a few things in common. They all have the next great idea, process, or another strategy they would like to implement. They all have the desire to get others on the same page whether through hiring practices or coaching procedures. And, unfortunately, they almost all share the same issue of having too much on their minds to accomplish without having the time to get everything checked off of the list. That’s why the next frontier for business strategists and leaders is to find out how to save time and squeeze a few more seconds out of their employees. These are some of the best strategies they have come up with.
Stop Multitasking
One of the skills many people have been raised to try and perform has been to multitask. It was supposedly the best way to accomplish tasks throughout the day and has been heralded as the number one way to check items off of your proverbial list. However, more and more executives are finding when they embrace multitasking they are actually getting even less done than before. Throw in the fact that without the proper focus, multitasking actually creates work which is much poorer and not as crisp, and you can see why places such as Inc. are starting to say get rid of multitasking altogether and you will be much better off.
If the name of the game in an organization is to make specialized decisions with unique solutions, then having incorrect work or unpolished results will never be the answer no matter how quickly you accomplish the task at hand. For this reason, it makes sense to slow down and pump the breaks in order to produce a quality solution. But, when you think about the actual time it takes to go back and review old work in order to correct mistakes from your first attempt, it is only fair to assume you could have accomplished more the first time without trying to multitask.
Minimize Physical Meetings
No organization will ever be successful without having people on the same page. However, the tool by which corporations choose to bring people together is completely outdated. Everyone needs to be on the same page, but stuffing executives, business leaders, and anyone of relative intelligence all into a single room so that they can sit idle for hours at a time is one of the biggest wastes of time in the workplace. The fact is meetings in a meeting room was only the best option when people didn’t have the chance to communicate in any other way.
Now with technologies such as corporate video communicationsbyBlueJeans, employees, investors, and board members alike can all be on the same call to discuss important issues without ever having to leave their office. This not only can save countless hours needed to travel and physically relocate so many people in the same physical location, but it also saves the organization on travel costs as well. No one needs to sit by and waste their time, and because no employee even needs to leave their desks they can actually continue to have materials and work in front of them throughout a call. No time is wasted.
Make It Easy for Your Employees
While the idea of bowing down to your employees is one which any manager would shudder to think of, the truth is when employees are happy they will work harder and will also be more likely to stay for the long haul. This is such a focus for some organizations like Cisco, that they will even listen to their employees as much as possible. Whether it is improving communications and networking ability, reducing travel time, or adding in additional perks, the fact is happy employees are completely more likely to get more work done, but they are also more likely to stick with you.
The costs of acquiring and training new employees are far greater than the costs needed to keep existing employees happy. That’s why keeping your employees’ goals aligned with your own is one of the best strategies, and finding a way to give them the best tools, processes, and environments possible to do their jobs should absolutely yield better results than you have ever had before. At the end of the day, you simply need to have a system in place where employees are effective at their roles or else you will spend all of your time managing and possibly even micromanaging those very employees.
When it comes to finding ways to get ahead with your organization then you should be focused on making your resources go farther and be more productive. Because the number one resource is time, it’s all about doing the job right the first time and providing an environment to create efficient employees who answer that call.
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