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"Conservatism is the worship of dead revolutions."
Clinton Rossiter

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Word count this issue: 368

Estimated reading time:   2.10 minutes 

 

Good morning from an absolutely stunning Vancouver. As friends and colleagues across Canada dig out after Sunday’s storm on the Atlantic Coast and frigid temperatures, we are basking in Spring temperatures and cherry blossoms. The signs of new life always inspire me.

I am however, sometimes a victim of things that inspire me. I can become fascinated about something that actually takes me off my charted course for the day. There are pros and cons for this part of me that can make me lose focus. Then, I heard late last week about a book called “Essentialism; The Disciplined Pursuit of Doing Less” http://www.forbes.com/sites/lawtonursrey/2014/04/17/the-art-of-essentialism/ by Greg McKeown. 

In part the book is talking to people whose time is not their own; the vast majority of those who work for other people. It is a kind of Time Management, the Next Generation book. And as I got deeper into Greg’s thinking, I saw links to our work as Leaders. The world is a very fast paced place, as we’ve been exploring in, different ways, the last three Leadership Notes, and others before them. This speed has some benefits, but at great costs. We have little opportunity for reflection, for learning from past decisions, or for re-creation and innovation. Greg’s thinking provides some very helpful changes to our mindset:

  • be clear about what’s important
  • learn to say “I’ll think about it”, and then think about it as opposed to an automatic yes
  • be consumed by the essentials; not the nice to do’s. 

I was reminded of the old Stephen Covey quadrant exploring those aspects of our work that are urgent/not urgent, and important/not important. http://www.usgs.gov/humancapital/documents/TimeManagementGrid.pdf 

As leaders we need to remember that people count on us to do the important and not urgent work of planning, health and vocation so that all of us are able to work smarter and more effectively. There are many opportunities to be interrupted, even by inspiring and good stimuli. We are however at our best when we can remember that people count on us to be focused on the essentials. I wonder, what are the essentials for you this week?