How do you keep track of what you have to do? I have lots of lists. I have a notebook for each of my major meetings, like programs, departments, one-on-ones. So as things come up during the week, I just add it to the correct notebook so that when that meeting comes up, I have everything I need to go over. I started that in the lockdown, actually. I was doing it a little bit before. I mean, I always had it to do list, but when everything was so confusing in the lockdown, it just made sense to have a separate notebook for everything.
How do you make sure nothing falls through the cracks? Well, things do, things do. Usually when things fall through the cracks, it’s because I didn't follow the system that I had in place. So for instance, yesterday, I had a meeting, but it was a really quick meeting because I was just going to pop in before something else I had to do. I didn't have anything to write on and because I didn't have anything to write it on, I forgot something — but I remembered it around noon. Later on, I knew there was something else I’d forgotten, and it was just bugging the heck out of me. It came to me in the middle of a meeting that I was chairing, so I couldn't write it down. And I was just racking my brain because I had forgotten it again. I went to the person I’d met with to see if she knew, and she had forgotten. Later, I was driving and it came back to me! So those are the things that fall through the cracks, but they also serve as a really important reminder to me to always have a notebook with me.
What do you feel like is the best process or system you set up for yourself or for the office? I don’t like finding solutions; I like making things better. The games that I used to play as a kid that I liked the most were—well, do you remember Boggle? So, you're looking at the same letters as everybody else, but you only get points for the words you see that nobody else saw. I approach a lot of things like that. What can I see here that maybe nobody else is seeing? I throw out a lot of crazy ideas that don't get very far, but what's cool about that is I get feedback on why that won't work. But sometimes I'll throw out an idea that turns out to be really helpful.
How do you decide what to delegate? I think one of the best skills you can have as a manager is knowing your team well enough to know what their skills are. I try to delegate anything that I think someone else on my team can do as well or better than me. I also like delegating tasks to people who are trying to grow their skills professionally, and maybe it pushes them a little. When you have someone who's trying to grow that skillset, if you can afford the time, it's just selfish not to delegate it. One of the best pieces of advice I got from my first boss was that your job as a manager is not to be there all the time. Your job is to create a mental image of yourself in each team member's mind so that when you're not there, they would continuously bounce ideas off of that mental version of you. That way, your team continues to function just as well whether you're there or not.
Do you have a mantra? Something you say to yourself when there is too much going on and you need to get yourself back on track? It's amazing how much work can be done when it all has to be done.
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Something to think about:
“You don’t need more time. You need more focus.” --Shane A. Parrish
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The Rabbit Hole (resources, content, etc. that’s relevant to the job):
I grew up working in restaurants, so this super short essay (or super long tweet) really resonated. Are We Missing The Whole Point of Productivity?
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