T I M E M A N A G E M E N T
- Get rid of bad talk; promote good talk.
Don’t let your meeting degenerate into personal attack or serve
as a forum for griping. Do not assign blame or allow others to.
Encourage the sharing of ideas and suggestions that promote the
mission or improve the process. Give praise and support pride and
positive team attitudes. Share and celebrate achievements.
Here are a few ground rules other groups have found helpful:- Use “I” statements in sharing your perceptions. Don’t say:
“This meeting is a stupid waste of time”; instead say: “I feel
like we’re wasting our time here.” - Talk about issues, not personalities. Don’t say: “Your idea is idi-
otic”; instead say: “I don’t think this idea will work because.. .” - Come prepared.
- Listen actively. Don’t interrupt.
- Don’t yell, pound the table, or curse.
You might not want or need these guidelines. Develop your
own to work for your group.
Now what do we do?
So what are you going to do with all this time you’ve saved for
your staff? You probably won’t have trouble filling the time. But if
you don’t plan for it, existing jobs will simply expand to fill it.
Your final task as an effective time manager for your staff must
be to consider how time really ought to be spent. Are there other
important activities that haven’t been getting done?
Before you spend all their time, though, consider giving a little
time off as a reward for a job well done, ahead of schedule. You
can’t give them anything they’ll appreciate more and that could
motivate them better.