Nisha is the VP of Operations at her company. Here is a breakdown of her typical Tuesday:
| 6:00am | Alarm goes off. |
| 6:15 am | Pours a cup of coffee and reads the news on her phone. |
| 6:30 am | Gets dressed for the day. |
| 7:09 am | Checks emails to see if anything is “on fire.” |
| 7:15 am | Departs for work. |
| 8:01 am | Settles in at desk. Checks IMs for any juicy messages. |
| 8:30 am | Attends morning management stand-up meeting. Everyone shares tasks for the day from their manual notes. |
| 9:00 am | Attends high profile client meeting. |
| 10:12 am | Goes back to desk to answer and read emails. |
| 10:23 am |
Heads to kitchen to grab a snack and visit with co-workers. |
| 10:34 am |
Begins heads-down time to work on a new project idea. |
| 12:00pm | Departs for lunch. |
| 1:05 pm | Attends product planning meeting. Captures 3 new action items on notepad. |
| 2:32 pm |
Checks emails to see if anything is “on fire.” |
| 2:45 pm |
Works on company metrics slides for upcoming meeting tomorrow. |
| 3:15 pm | Takes water break. Visits with co-workers. |
| 3:28 pm |
Responds to client escalations with PMs. |
| 4:03pm |
Calls IT about issues with company-issued laptop. |
| 4:18 pm |
Review calendar for tomorrow’s meetings and prep items. |
| 4:30 pm |
Sends final emails for the day. |
| 4:45 pm |
Marks off tasks on notepad. Adds new tasks for tomorrow. |
| 4:58 pm |
Shuts down PC and preps for departure. |
| 5:03 pm | Departs for home. |
Here is a day in the life of a busy leader. She has routines that keep her work life in check (ex: waking up at the same, reading the news, checking off tasks) but no routines that foster her company’s strategy.
As a result, she tends to work on items right in front of her versus the items that are the most important. And, she spends energy and time recording everything manually. Gross.
Where are the strategic items that will drive the organization further?
Where is the time devoted to the company’s mission?
Many leaders and team members go through the motions every day at work, and then (maybe) dedicate a day or two to “developing strategy.”
There are natural places for Nisha and her team to incorporate the company’s strategic focus. What impact could she make if THIS was her schedule instead:
| 6:00am | Alarm goes off. |
| 6:15 am | Pours a cup of coffee and reads the news on her phone. |
| 6:30 am | Gets dressed for the day. |
| 7:09 am | Checks emails to see if anything is “on fire.” |
| 7:15 am | Departs for work. |
| 8:01 am | Settles in at desk. Checks IMs for any juicy messages. |
| 8:30 am | Attends morning management stand-up meeting.
Everyone shares the critical items they will work on today using the Strategypoint Plan View. |
| 9:00 am | Attends high profile client meeting. |
| 10:12 am | Goes back to desk to answer and read emails. |
| 10:23 am |
Heads to kitchen to grab a snack and visit with co-workers. |
| 10:34 am |
Works on a Goal that is only at 30% and is due in 3 weeks. |
| 12:00pm | Departs for lunch. |
| 1:05 pm | Attends product planning meeting. Team ties action items to existing Goal in Strategypoint. |
| 2:32 pm |
Checks emails to see if anything is “on fire.” |
| 2:45 pm |
Reviews Strategypoint Dashboard for what to highlight in tomorrow’s meeting. |
| 2:52 pm | Takes water break. Visits with co-workers. |
| 3:04 pm |
Responds to client escalations with PMs. |
| 3:37 pm |
Calls IT about issues with company-issued laptop. |
| 4:18 pm |
Review calendar for tomorrow’s meetings and prep items. |
| 4:21 pm |
Sends final emails for the day. |
| 4:35 pm |
Completes tasks in Strategypoint. Excited to see the Goal progress jump to 90%. |
| 4:40 pm |
Shuts down PC and preps for departure. |
| 4:45 pm | Departs for home. |
Anyone CAN make time to work towards the company’s strategy. Leaders MUST make the time.
