From in-office time to working from home, it can be challenging to determine our own individual effectiveness. We may check off items on our daily lists, yet find we still don’t have the overall results we desire. How do you know if you’re being effective at work and if there are things you can adjust to increase your performance and results? Here are a few ways you can measure your individual effectiveness and consider what to do to improve.
Time Wasters
What are the biggest time wasters while trying to get work done? Here are a handful that we are all guilty of:
· Multitasking
· Checking emails
· Reading social media
· Disorganization
· Unnecessary meetings
· Lack of delegation
Some of these may be caused by outside forces, yet some are self-inflicted. While you can’t always influence external factors, you can make small personal changes that may greatly impact your individual effectiveness.
For example, multitasking is a myth. The human brain isn’t designed to do more than one task at a time. When we think we’re slaying it by doing multiple things at once, we may be doing the opposite. Consider carving out time on your calendar to focus on top tasks to determine if you are actually getting more accomplished.
We often distract ourselves by checking email when we don’t need to, popping onto social media to see what we’ve missed, and not keeping our workspace neat. Take an inventory of your time wasters and consider what you can minimize or eliminate. Start with small, actionable changes, achieve success and build from there.
Self-Sabotage
Self-sabotage can come in many forms. Some include the time wasters above. We know we need to complete a challenging project, but we check and respond to email instead. We need to give someone important feedback, yet we delay and find ourselves on social media.
We all have internal self-talk that causes us to question ourselves. Sometimes this voice is accurate, yet other times it is way off base. We can determine if the voice is accurate ourselves, at times, just by recognizing it is there. Other times, discussing your thoughts with another trusted friend or advisor can help you identify patterns that increase anxiety or cause procrastination. Many people find daily practices such as mindfulness and meditation quite helpful in discerning harmful from helpful self-talk.
Dealing with Difficult People
Thus far in this article, we have considered actions that are within our control. When we deal with difficult people, however, we are never completely in control. We are only in control of our own behaviors and how we choose to respond. Often, it may feel easier to avoid a person than to work to change the situation. While we may want to avoid important conversations, it is better to address these situations proactively as opposed to allowing unhealthy relationships to fester and become worse over time.
The first step is to consider your relationship with the person. Your approach may be very different if it’s a supervisor, coworker, friend, family member, or client. The relationship dynamics will help you to determine how you want to move forward. Here are a few steps you may take if you decide to initiate a conversation:
· Approach the conversation with kindness and compassion
· Find common ground
· Stay calm
· Share your perspective using "I" statements
· Listen with the goal to understand the other person
· Treat the person with respect
· Discuss and agree on action steps to improve the relationship
While you may face relationship challenges that impact your individual effectiveness, there will also be opportunities to align common goals to achieve win-win outcomes. You may need to take the first step.
Need help with individual or organizational effectiveness? We can help! Contact Sigred Group today.