In a study conducted by the Harvard Business Review, it was revealed that most people recognize that task execution is a critical skill at work, which is why they strive to perform to the best of their ability.
However, it is possible that the importance of the ability to get more done in less time is being underestimated at a professional level.
Jack Zenger and Joseph Folkman point out that leaders pay close attention to execution, which is defined as the ability to achieve individual goals and objectives. In fact, when senior executives were asked how important it was to them, execution was at the top of a list of 16 competencies. Other managers ranked it fifth, after integrity, honesty, inspiration, and motivation.
They recognize that there are many skills on the job that are important, but if you want to get better results, it’s time to learn how to get more done, without putting in more hours.
How to do more in less time.
1. Be clear and methodical.
Many people tend to execute activities without being organized, having a plan, or clearly seeing the link between what they must do and the strategy of the project they are working on.
Having the talent to organize people, gather resources, and then create a plan that others are committed to sticking to will collectively improve the execution process. Providing direction to your work group and defining who does what will help people understand how their work contributes to the organization’s mission.
If you are one of those who start a project without a well-structured plan, and the feedback you receive focuses on your lack of planning, it is time to pay more attention; since this keeps you from doing more in less time. An inexperienced person may be disorganized, but this will rarely characterize a person in a more responsible position.
2. Set deadlines and determine goals.
Setting goals helps the group stay focused on their goals and be more satisfied and engaged with other team members.
To help your team achieve those goals, you need to set deadlines. When someone gives you a deadline, our behavior changes.
Establishing deadlines is the way to meet the agreed goals. You can start by asking them things like what would you need to achieve this goal two weeks early? You will find that by challenging your team and supporting them in meeting a difficult goal, they will feel more engaged and satisfied with their work.
Keep in mind not to go too far, it has also been found that a lot of pressure can erode trust, which will affect the execution of tasks in the long term. When a leader hasn’t earned the trust of his team and asks them to go the extra mile, people question his motives and resist his requests.
On the other hand, involving your team in setting goals and deadlines will increase their sense of commitment and autonomy.
3. Give more feedback, especially positive ones.
This has to do with improving performance through intrinsic motivation, rather than setting goals and deadlines. Those leaders who are good at execution are adept at giving feedback.
They are able to deliver critical feedback, take the time to listen and understand their team’s perspectives, rather than simply deliver a negative message to someone and end the conversation as soon as possible.
Giving positive feedback gives better results. It was found that those leaders who are experts in execution know how to give more positive feedback.
4. Resolve conflicts and create unity in the work team.
Have you ever been part of a great team in which you feel comfortable working? Work teams like these practice the strategies mentioned above and go even further.
They have clear work assignments and consistent processes, ambitious but fair deadlines, and feedback is plentiful. In these cases, it is not only the boss who motivates his co-workers, the expectations of the team members are also powerful drivers of motivation. Creating this kind of culture at work is an important element in getting more done in less time.
While it is true that building strong teams allows for good performance, conflict resolution is perhaps the skill that allows you to truly excel. This is because many of the problems within a team originate from the differences between the people who make it up.
In high-performance teams, people trust each other, and any differences are constructive, not destructive or personal.
How many of these skills do you have? You may be able to say that you are good at two or more, and recognize that you should work on the other two, but this study shows that the better the balance between these 4 strategies, the better your execution ability will be and you will be able to do more in less time.
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