If you’re lucky—and intentional—when you look back on your life, things tend to balance out. Not every week, not every month, and not in the way you expect. But over the arc of your life, the seasons shift. You’ll have time for the things that matter—just maybe not all at once.
As we wind down another year, I thought it would be helpful to share some of the best practices I have observed over the years from leaders who tend to end every year on a high note:
I’ve witnessed a disturbing trend lately among many entrepreneurs. They want to work the hours of a successful person without yet attaining actual business success. All this talk about work-life balance has made people a bit confused. If you want to run a business that supports a flexible lifestyle, you can certainly choose to work for yourself as an option, but financial success usually requires arduous work, especially at the beginning.
I have always liked the idea as viewing your time similar to currency. You get to decide how you spend it and what types if investments you make. Sadly, just like with our money, many of us make bad or misinformed decisions. Time is finite. There will be a time when it grows short and then disappears. Our children will only live with us a relatively brief time before they grow up and move away to begin their own lives. People we care about will run out of time and all that will remain will be the memories we made with them while they were still here. Our career will follow a natural arc and eventually our lives will be less about what we do for a living (despite our past accomplishments) and we will need to redefine ourselves. Knowing this, what can and should we do differently. I believe it all starts with priorities.
I have often heard it said that “if you want to know what a person truly values, pay attention to what they do, not what they say.” Actions do speak louder than words. Many of us are hypocrites and don’t even realize it. I have a professional belief that a considerable amount of unhappiness among leaders stems from their living in conflict with their true values and focusing on the wrong priorities. We are either moving closer to or further away from the person we’d like to be.
If I had to pick one thing that inhibits success the most among small business and nonprofit leaders, I would say it is a lack of sustained focus. By the very nature of being entrepreneurs, they tend to be very opportunistic. Entrepreneurs often perceive business opportunities everywhere. Their mindset is that every problem has a solution and the only obstacle to progress is a lack of effort. Unfortunately, this belief is only partially true. Yes, every problem does have a solution, but the effort needs to be put forth by the right people with the right plan.
Time is finite. No matter how hard we try, we can’t create more of it, so we must manage the hours we have in the best way possible. You need to minimize distractions and maximize your focus.
Most people live their lives reactively rather than proactively. Instead of controlling their time and schedule they let events control them. If you always choose to just make it up as you go along, don’t be surprised if you are often disappointed with the outcomes you are getting. Create some basic structure to your daily life and you will actually end up feeling liberated to do more of what you want to do because you will have more time to do it in.
It is easy to get caught up in your own world. However, leaders need to elevate their thinking to incorporate the bigger picture. The organization’s needs must take priority over any one person’s agenda. You may sometimes have to sacrifice what you want or desire as an individual for the greater good.
Focus on what you do well and then delegate everything else you can. Many leaders spend too much time on things they aren’t good at and are below their pay grade. Leadership is about effectively growing, leveraging, and deploying assets. What does it say about the company if its top personnel resource is used ineffectively? Time is finite, and once it is wasted, it is gone.