How often have you sent emails or left voice messages for team members, asking them to solve business problems without considering what else they are working on? In the rush to solve business problems, well-intentioned leaders and managers sometimes create unnecessary chaos and work for themselves and their direct reports. Have you ever solved what you thought was an important business problem only to realize you had created an even larger one by over-reacting or reacting too quickly? Or have you ever diverted key resources away from higher priorities to solve things that weren’t as important?
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The acronym “S.M.A.R.T.” is a filter to create goals that are specific, measurable, achievable, realistic and timely. Each is important to setting goals but it’s the last one, “timely” that creates the urgency necessary to achieve a goal. And, nothing ensures timeliness like a deadline. Setting and then meeting business deadlines creates traction, and traction is the real test of an effective, cohesive leadership team. Without traction people are just spinning their wheels.
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Just 16 months ago, Stephanie Laitala was working 80 hours a week, trying to get her “baby,” Owl Bookkeeping and CFO Services, to take flight. Back in 1999, she had turned her work as a part-time freelance comptroller into a firm providing accounting services and financial guidance to small businesses.
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This one has been coming up a lot in sessions lately. That is always a good sign that it is time to share it with everyone. You should find this very helpful in creating context and taking some pressure off when your team is dealing with one of those big, nagging business issues.
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This is the concluding article in our Leadership Team Development series. Throughout the past weeks, I have challenged you to ask yourself ten questions to assess your effectiveness as a leader and a manager.
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