As seen in the Dayton Daily News on October 11, 2014.
In today’s business world, everyone within a company needs to work as efficiently as possible to compete in this competitive world. This is especially true for the leaders within an organization.
According to The Wall Street Journal, “The average U.S. executive wastes six weeks per year searching for missing information in messy desks and files.”
I’ve worked with many companies and one fact remains true, a disorganized boss is difficult to work for, wastes valuable time and creates unnecessary stress at the office.
It’s time to make a change if you constantly ask others to recreate documents they have given you in the past or you are doing things yourself that should be delegated. If your staff puts items on your chair because they’re afraid it will get lost on your desk, you and your employees will benefit if you get organized.
Many times your staff knows how to help you, but they are afraid to make suggestions because they don’t want to insult you and jeopardize their positions.
Admitting you’re disorganized can be quite humbling, but your staff will respect you for recognizing that things could be better. They will applaud you for taking action to excel as a leader.
The first thing you should do is call a staff meeting and have an open, frank discussion with everyone on your team. Let them know that you want to get organized and are ready to make changes. Encourage them to be honest and feel safe in making suggestions on how things can improve around the office.
Simply ask, “What can I be doing differently that will improve everyone’s productivity?”
Listen without getting defensive and don’t take the things they say personally, even though it may feel like you’re being attacked. Write down everyone’s responses. Say things like, “Thank you for that idea, I will work to improve that situation.” You want as much feedback as you can get, so be positive with every suggestion that is made.
When everyone at the meeting has had an opportunity to give their suggestions and offer solutions, thank everyone and tell them you want to continue these candid discussions whenever they see room for improvement.
Back at your desk look over the list and determine which ones you should do on your own and which ones you need assistance with. Work on those you can do yourself then find someone who can help you implement the others. This may be an organized employee or a third party who specializes in getting others organized.
Delegate tasks that you should no longer be doing in your position. Delegating helps those who support you become invaluable, in which case everyone wins.
A disorganized boss hurts team morale and affects everyone’s performance. Spending time getting organized will be one of the best investments you can make for your company. Get over your ego, let go of your fear and ask for help.
If you happen to walk into your office and someone has placed this article on your chair, then you have someone one your team who cares about your success and is ready to support you. You should be doing what you can to be the leader they deserve.