With the Christmas and New Year vacation approaching are you overwhelmed by your endless to-do list? Do you feel as though you never have enough time to spend on the things that really matter? If so, then accept this offer of help from 'Santa's helpers' at the Nassau Guardian.
What if you could achieve much more with less time and effort by simply concentrating on your all-important tasks? This is the tantalizing offer by Richard Koch, an entrepreneur whose ventures have included Filofax, Plymouth Gin and Betfair, and the author of 'The 80/20 Manager' which demonstrates that eighty percent of results come from just twenty percent of effort.
The author shows that it doesn't matter if you're looking at investment options or company performance, you'll find that it's usually the vital twenty percent that produces eighty percent of the result. However, this leads me to the disturbing conclusion that 80 percent of what we do must therefore count for little, which may explain why we can sometimes feel trapped on a pointless treadmill of business life. So it's just as well that Koch has applied his mind to the challenges that all Bahamian managers face.
The aim of the "The 80/20 Manager" is not to work harder, but smarter, by identifying the most important elements of your work which have the biggest impact and focusing your attention on getting these things done. Koch achieves by this highlighting the ten key leadership techniques to become an 80/20 manager; rather than having to master a comprehensive range of management skills, tools and techniques. As Koch explains, "Being brilliant at one of the ten techniques will take you further than being competent at all 10." Such techniques include:
o Being an 'investigating manager' by cultivating a questioning mind and understanding your product and customers.
o Become a 'super-connecting manager' by using effective networking to identify opportunities and good working practices.
o Be a 'lazy manager!' To reinforce this point (being a lazy writer) I will let you find out about this technique yourself.
Evidently, Steve Jobs saved Apple from insolvency by applying the 80:20 principle, so if it's good enough for him...! Surely the offer of becoming a 'lazy manager' who can successfully select the twenty percent of work that matters and achieve eighty percent of the results is the perfect Christmas gift for a successful and less stressful 2016. Merry Christmas!
o 'The 80/20 Manager' by Richard Koch and published by Little, Brown & Company.
Keith Appleton JP, BA (Hons), N.Dip.M, MInstLM has extensive experience within an academic, managerial and strategic leadership role. He is a member of the UK Institute of Leadership & Management and can be contacted at KeithAppleton@Hotmail.co.uk.
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