Working Smarter, Not Harder
I’m sure you’ve heard the phrase “Work smarter, not harder” more times than you can count, but have you ever stopped to think about what it really means? Or better yet, what it could mean for your team?
The concept of working smarter and not harder should resonate with leaders who find themselves extremely busy and needing to get their work done efficiently.
When you look at your daily schedule, who do you think is in charge of it? Our customers? Our employees? Nope. The truth is, it all comes down to us, and we as leaders have to be responsible for taking the time to think through our days and make sure we get the daily results we strive for.
The first rule of leadership is: Everything is your fault. Okay, I’m joking a little, but if you’ve been a leader for any amount of time, you know there is a bit of truth to it. The danger of keeping this mentality is that it can permanently shift you into a victim mindset, and that’s something we want to avoid.
As a driven leader, you’ve probably been tempted to swim against the current from time to time. Some people even think, “I’ll work smarter and not harder by not doing anything,” and that’s the exact opposite of what we’re talking about here. What I want is for you to learn how to get the results you need without skipping out on your work.
3 key steps to implement
While working alongside various teams, I’ve realized that there are 3 specific keys to working smarter, not harder. If you put these keys into practice, I guarantee that it will change the way your success is looked at, and it will take your team to a whole new level.
- Know what you want
- Rethink how you do it
- Be proactive versus reactive
First, take a look at the results you need. You can’t work for certain results if you have no idea what your team/facility/workplace even needs.
The second step can be very hard for leaders because we don’t always have all the time in the world to sit still and rethink our processes. However, you can take advantage of all the little moments you do have to yourself to mull a few things over. One day when you’re driving, think about what you would do with your department now if you could start all over with absolutely no limitations. Rethink the daily processes you are currently engaged in, how your people are allocated and how it’s all being packaged together. Once you’ve thought that over, allow your leaders to rethink it with you. They may see something that you’ve overlooked.
For this final step, take a moment and think about what being proactive means to you. What is your definition of proactive? It means you don’t wait until there’s a problem to solve a challenge, you go ahead and do something about it before it is an issue.
I have had properties that took 10 days to mow. Yes, 10 days for just mowing alone. My bosses didn’t come to me and tell me that I needed to do the job faster; just like you, I saw the situation and knew we could do better or we were going to be replaced. That initiative to be proactive is the difference between having a team that ultimately thrives versus one that barely survives.