5 Steps to Your Greatest HABUT

One of the main reasons why leaders are ineffective is that they're doing someone else's job.

And if it isn't someone else's yet, well then it should be.

To maximize your time and create a productive, effective team follow these 5 Steps to Your HABUT - Highest And Best Use Of Time:

Step 1: Prioritize

Most people spend their time doing tasks that are important and urgent. This is called Productive Time. The books have to be balanced, phone needs to be answered, and the emails have to be checked.

But, effective leaders need to devote a large chunk of their time to activities which are important and NOT urgent. This is Super Productive Time. These are activities like developing a strategic growth plan, creating a system to getting tasksdone (instead of doing them yourself), and networking within your industry.

Prioritize: Choose one task which you are going to STOP doing, which is not your HABUT and either delegate it or automate it. Then, prioritize one task which you will START doing according to your HABUT.

Step 2: Simplify & Codify

Simplify the task – get rid of unnecessary components. Strip the task down to its bare basics. Make the task teachable instead of a "one-time masterpiece."  Codify the task - Create a step-by-step procedure, “how to manual” or checklist for someone else to do this task.

Step 3: Recruit (internally or externally)

One you have the procedure down pat, find the right person to delegate the task to. This may be a new employee, but it might already be one of your team members. Look at their potential to grow into this new role.

To get fresh insights into improving your recruiting process, CLICK HERE. 

Step 4: Train

Give this employee the tools and help him develop the skills he needs to get the task done. Explain the procedure, what's expected of him, and what the desired outcome looks like. Invest in your employees and build a Path of Ascension with them.

Step 5: Performance Feedback

This is where many teams fall short. They set all of the systems in place and have everything mapped out to a tee. Then they press "go" and expect everything to proceed as planned. But it doesn't. Things come up and new problems have to be addressed. Employees have questions and leaders have suggestions.

Our solution? Create a real-time feedback loop. Build a system where team members regularly and quickly debrief and provide constructive feedback. This not only improves the team itself, but builds a fine-tuned process which is constantly being tweaked and improved.

Start working on your business instead of in it. Focus on your HABUT and increase your and your team's productivity one task at a time.