I rarely hear managers say “I’m great at time management.” Even the most organized and the most flexible tell me they scramble to keep up with their responsibilities. Boomer bosses may say it’s akin to being the plate spinning guy on the old “Ed Sullivan Show,” while their younger counterparts are likely to see their duties as a daily game of Whac-a-Mole.
While I suspect time management has always been a challenge for supervisors, today’s do-more-with-less workplace can leave them fearing ever more plates to spin and that the darn moles are going to win.
Managers are tending to the product, often at the expense of the people, and doing it in times of change, when employees need them most.
They can’t put more hours into the day, but they CAN get better control of their time if their own bosses help them. Often, top bosses are unaware that they are adding needless stress to a middle manager’s agenda.
So, if you supervise other managers, here are six tips for making certain you are helping, not hindering their ability to manage their time:
2. Identify priorities. This is a big one. Even when managers know their roles and responsibilities, they want their bosses to be clear about which of their many duties are the most important and why. When new tasks and duties are added, what can they safely stop doing or delegate to others?
3. Justify your meetings. Take a look at every meeting to make certain they’re both necessary and effective. Are they scheduled at the best times for all? Are the right people there? Do people leave with clear “next steps?” Do people follow up?
4. Flag your messages. When top bosses send an e-mail, direct reports may assume they want immediate action on it and drop everything to respond. Setting up a system that lets recipients know WHEN an action or answer is needed is a great help.
5. Show up — and on time. Don’t be the boss who’s late for his/her own meetings, routinely cancels them or is hard to locate. Not only is it rude, it’s a time-waster. Don’t be the boss who expects to have sign-off on most decisions and then keep them bottlenecked by unavailability.
6. Beware of “schedule contagion.” If you’re a joyful workaholic and live in the office, your staff may assume you expect them to do the same. They may be mimicking your hours out of fear, and destroying any hope of work-life harmony. Let them know you may be the first in and last out of the office every day, but that they don’t have to copy you.
There are two other things bosses do to help their staff members manage time — and if you do, you’ll know you’re one the of “greats.” I’ll explain in today’s podcast, “What Great Bosses Know about Helping Staff Manage Time.”
Poynter’s “What Great Bosses Know” podcast is sponsored by The City University of New York Graduate School of Journalism. Poynter’s leadership and management expert Jill Geisler shares practical information on leadership and management that’s valuable for bosses in newsrooms and all walks of life.
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