3.2.5.2 Conquering Free Space
In many cases the driving force behind the often-heard lament about lack of
resources and lack of time is something else: the fear of executives to act according
on their own opinions. Instead, all day they are busy doing what they think others
expect them to do. According to different estimates, approximately 90% of the
managers are thereby wasting their precious time and reducing their productivity –
despite well-defined projects and goals, and despite having the necessary
know-how for their job.
They are caught in the trap of inefficiency, because they think they don’t have
enough personal freedom. It is the ability to take the initiative that makes the most
important feature of any successful manager. The truly effective managers rely on
their own opinion and consider their situation from a long-term, comprehensive
and overarching perspective. They break free from given structures and stiff
expectations and assume control over their job, instead of being controlled by it.
Good leaders have learned to manage requirements, and in so doing have
overcome the feeling of constant strain. They work purposefully instead of just
constantly playing the “fire department,” because there’s always a fire to put out
somewhere. They provide resources and develop creative strategies in order to
overcome real or perceived limitations, and do not blindly follow any “strict orders
from above.” In short: effective leaders do not work in the narrow context of
individual tasks, but in the broad context of their company and their careers.
They have an active and not reactive attitude.
Effectiveness is one of the most important characteristics of successful leaders,
and it can be learned. Peter F. Drucker formulated five rules for an effective
working style:
An effective leader utilizes good time management to ensure that what little
uninterrupted time he or she has is used economically.
He or she is more focused on the results than on the activity.
He or she makes use of positive forces rather than weaknesses.
An effective leader sets clear priorities for a few, central areas and for the completion
of his or her primary tasks.
Finally, an effective leader makes only sound and not rash decisions (see Drucker
1967, pp. 44–47).
In order to combat the habit of constant hassle, managers need to liberate
themselves from the desire to be irreplaceable and must not bask in the sense
of their own importance. It may be easier to put out spontaneous fires than to
consistently set priorities and follow through on them. But if managers do not use
these options, because they constrain their own room for decision-making from the
outset, they needlessly reduce their available options. Many managers make the
mistake of constantly having to be reachable for supervisors and employees.
Especially young managers feel flattered by the competition for their precious
time. And the busier they are, the more important they feel. They want to make
152 3 Systemic Leadership or: Designing a World That Others Want to Be Part Of