Leadership: the road to success

Published: 2007-04-10   please add a comment below

We've all done it: rushed to the shops and come back without something.  And, there's always a reason: someone distracted us, or the phone rang.  But, the real reason is we didn't have a list.  That simplest of plans.

Without lists, my life would be a mess.  (Even with them, it's not always great.)  They're the foundation of my daily activities.  The ongoing list of important tasks - some carried forward for weeks; and, today's scribbled list of pressing items from the main list plus a dozen challenges-of-the-day.  I admire people, who do fine without this help.  But, from my observation, most successful leaders have their lists.  And, these are the most easily observable part of their business and personal planning.  To misquote T. S. Eliot, between vision and its implementation falls the list.

Do you regard yourself as a good planner?  Would your team agree?  As their leader, what would they say you need to improve?  And, what would your boss add?

Check yourself!  Write down the mark out of ten your team would give you for each of the following!  First, testing a range of possibilities before moving to a conclusion.  Second, selecting and defining clear and practical strategies.  Third, prioritising team tasks, deadlines, etc.  Fourth, setting review dates.  Fifth, ensuring team and individual plans align with overall goals.  And, last but not least, working each day through your own list of priority leadership tasks.

Here's a way to start!

Dr. Timothy Pascoe AM
PhD (Cambridge), MBA (Harvard), BE & BEc (Adelaide)
Creator, V|E|C|T|O|R Leadership^®