The Art of Time Management and Leadership Observations

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The Art of Time ManagementandLeadership
Observations

• Mary K. Estes, Ph.D.
• Professor, Department of Molecular Virology and
  Microbiology and Medicine- GI
• Director, TMC Digestive Diseases Center
• Baylor College of Medicine
• Houston, Texas

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The Art of Time Management
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Time Management

• Determine your priorities and your goals
• Once articulated, they will help you judge how
  you wish to apportion your time and effort

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Time Management is a Myth

• No matter how organized we are, there are still
  only 24 hrs per day
• Time doesnt change
• All we can manage is ourselves and what we do
  with the time we have!

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Implement a Time Management Plan

• Create time management goals
• Find out where you are wasting time
• Use time management tools
• Day timer or cell phone schedule and lists
• Prioritize ruthlessly
• Set time limits for tasks
• Be sure your systems are organized

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NEVER PROCRASTINATE

• The work will not disappear!

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Timeliness

• Attention to each problem when it arises will
  prevent the need to solve more pressing problems
  that result from failure to address the initial
  problem promptly.
• Email
• Telephone calls Handle expediently
• S??? mail

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Distraction

• Never look at the mail or message until you plan
  to do something with it

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Delegation

• Delegate reasonable tasks

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The Big Picture

• Develop a conceptual understanding of space and
  money

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Zen or something like it

• Develop a large tolerance for ambiguity
• Use your sense of humor
• Develop a minimal need for short term rewards
• Develop broad shoulders without chips
• Listen to others

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Take as many of your owntelephone calls as you
can
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Remember Rome wasnt built in a day, but it
burned in one...

• It doesnt matter what you did yesterday, it is
  what you are doing today or will do tomorrow that
  is important

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You can compromisewithout being compromising
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Elementary, my dear Watson

• Always seek out the facts
• Good decisions must be factually sound

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Assume that what you do will have to be
accounted for

• Time and effort
• Money
• Space

• Collect data as it develops
• This saves much time and effort when
  accountability is requested CVs, hospitals,
  schools, certifying bodies, etc.

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And last, but not least

• When you meet with someone and they have a long
  list or agenda, ask them to start at the bottom
• The last item is usually the most sensitive and
  will require the greatest amount of time
• When you prepare an agenda, put the most pressing
  item at the top-- it will saves hours of meeting
  time

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Expediency ? Efficiency

• A bird in the hand may be worth two in the bush,
  but...
• the bird may also leave droppings in your palm
• There are no shortcuts to success!

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Do not fight change-- it wastes time

• Change is inevitable
• not to mention uncomfortableBUT
• it brings opportunities and risk
• Your job is to maximize the opportunity and
  minimize the risk

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Focus on outcomes

• Publish research findings
• Publications are the currency of success
• Obtain funding for research
• Education
• Plot a course prospectively to achieve the
• best outcome

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Conceptualize problems

• This is the only way you can communicate both
• the nature of the problem and its solutions in
  the simplest terms-- doing so saves enormous
  amounts of time. You can explain something once
  and it will be understood

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Never do something twice

• Do it right the first time!
• Papers
• Grants
• Letters

I took a few shortcuts laying the foundation,
but I dont think anyone will notice
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Multitasking

• You can do two things at the same time

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Cohesiveness

• Constantly seek to eliminate unproductive efforts
  or divisive activities within the group

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Time is lifes most preciousresource

• Use your time and that of others with
  accountability
• Be on time!

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Time is lifes most preciousresource
Use your time efficiently Have something to do
while waiting before appointments or between
meetings or classes
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Deal with the cards you are dealt

• Trying to seek a re-deal is a waste of time and
  generally is not successful

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There is no substitute forintegrity
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Do everything thoroughly

• Failure to prepare is preparing to fail
• Excellence is achieved by the pursuit of
  perfection ALL the time

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Good time management israrely an accident

• It is the result of
• high intention
• sincere effort
• much thought
• skillful execution

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When you are in a position to do so...

• Hire people smarter than yourself
• It will
• 1) Save you time
• 2) Make you look good

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Do not panic when you makemistakes

• Good judgment comes from experience
• Experience come from bad judgment
• Do not make the same mistake twice

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Achieve balance between yourpersonal and
professional life
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Leadership Observations
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• Leaders usually are ordinary people with
  extraordinary determination. Persistence in the
  name of a good cause usually overcomes
  resistance.

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Attributes of Leaders

• The ability to articulate a vision.
• A superior capacity to select personnel.
• A conceptual understanding of space and money.
• The courage to make unpopular decisions.
• The ability to create a readiness to change.

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Attributes of Leaders

• A large tolerance for ambiguity.
• A sense of humor.
• A minimal need for short term rewards.
• Broad shoulders without chips.
• The ability to listen.

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Personal Principles

• The job of a leader is to make other peoples
  dreams come true.
• Make as many of your own telephone calls as you
  can.
• Always try to do what is right. Never give up
  the high ground.

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Personal Principles

• Never confuse power with authority. Power is an
  imputed phenomenon, and power is gained by not
  using it.
• Never gripe down.
• If you expect excellence and convey that to the
  personnel, they will do more than what they
  themselves believed possible.

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Manage by Wandering

• Get to know everybody on the custodial staff.
  They will tell you what is going on. Never
  divulge their confidence or they will unionize
  and you will have no absolute source of truth.

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Simple Truths

• Praise in public and criticize in private.
• If you and the college director agree on
  everything, there is a high probability that you
  are both wrong.
• Always seek out and understand the facts. Good
  decisions must be factually sound.

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Simple Truths

• Stay in charge of your calendar.
• Never appoint a committee to recommend allocation
  of space.
• Solve problems that have solutions. Parking
  problems generally do not, so delegate these to
  someone else.

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Simple Truths

• When you join an organization as a new leader,
  remember your first week of meetings. Virtually
  everyone who has called for an appointment will
  cause you long term trouble.

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Learn Time Management Skills

• Never do something twice do it right the first
  time.
• You can learn to do two things at the same time.

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Questions?