As a manager, you are frequently pulled in multiple directions. You have a responsibility to your superiors, your employees and your customers and but have an interest in making decisions that will advance your career in the long run. How can you effectively balance your responsibilities without burning out?
Delegate Effectively
Don’t try to do it all. You’re not doing yourself any favors, but you’re also not developing your employees. Analyze the various tasks you must accomplish each day. Determine which ones fall into your areas of true expertise and which can be handled by members of your team. This will free up valuable time for you and add to their professional growth.
Get Comfortable With “Good Enough.”
Not every item on your to-do list deserves hours or days of your time. Limit the time you spend on each task and let it go. At some point you stop getting enough return on your time investment. It’s up to you to recognize when you reach this threshold and not allow yourself to be paralyzed by perfectionism.
Prioritize your Tasks
There are not enough hours in the day to accomplish everything on your to-do list, so it’s critical to focus on your most important objectives. Choose three to five significant items to accomplish each day and delegate, postpone or eliminate the rest.
Don’t let Urgent push out important
It’s often said that the squeaky wheel gets the grease, but that doesn’t always increase your effectiveness as a manager. Focus attention on items of actual importance rather than spending your days putting out fires.
Rely on the 80/20 Rule
Spend time developing the select few employees with potential rather than micromanaging underperformers. While retention is an admirable goal, be more selective on who you put energy into retaining.
Depend on Experts
Don’t hesitate to bring in specialists who can handle things faster and better than you can. Hire tech experts rather than wasting your time fooling with a wonky laptop, hire a recruiter to speed and simplify your hiring process.
Want more tips on hiring and managing more effectively? Marquee Staffing is here to help. Contact us today to learn more about our recruiting services in San Diego and beyond.