Take Charge of Your Day

Be Intentional

When speaking with audiences on the topics of leadership and management, the feedback I often receive is along the following lines: “This is really helpful information! 
It makes sense. I can see I should be doing these things, but I just don’t have the time. I’m overwhelmed with my day-to-day work. My days are filled with meetings and countless interruptions. My office is substantially understaffed. I’m already so far behind in my work. What you’re challenging me to do takes time and energy – that I don’t have.”

Creating and sustaining a forward-thinking, high-performing culture requires a heightened sense of focus upon leadership. As leaders we establish, communicate, and foster the strategic direction, vision, and truth. We must be relentless in finding ways to be able to see what’s around the corner when it comes to internal and external forces.

We need to find ways to create time and space for carrying out this important body of work. We must be intentional with our time. Being busy and being productive can be two very different things. If you find yourself focusing too much on doing the work or managing activities, and would like to have more time for leadership activities here are some tips to help give you some of that much needed time and space.

Pickle Jar

Jeremy Wright’s rendition of the Pickle Jar Theory is my personal favorite time management system. In this brief article, Wright provides particularly helpful examples of his pre- and post-pickle day schedules: https://alistapart.com/article/pickle. 
What would your pre- and post-pickle schedule look like?

The overarching guidepost of the theory is to focus upon what matters most. Here is the abbreviated version…imagine an empty extra-large pickle jar (think gallon size!). The jar represents our day and how we choose to spend our time. Place large rocks into the jar until it is full. Now, take handfuls of pebbles and fill the jar. It’s surely full now, right? Pour sand into the jar until it reaches the top. The jar is full. Lastly, pour water into the jar all the way up to the rim.

The rocks represent the most important things upon which we should be focused – not necessarily the most urgent items. The pebbles represent what we enjoy doing – which may or may not be the most important. Sand represents things we are obligated to do, and the water represents all of the distractions that clutter up our lives and seep everywhere.

Imagine if you reversed the order of placing the items into the jar. Then there would be no room for the most important things. 
The same is true for life. Begin your day with one simple question: what is my rock for today? If I could only accomplish one thing, what would it be? Do that first. Effective leaders focus upon what is most important.

What Gets Scheduled Gets Done

It’s that simple. What percentage of important meetings or appointments do you accidentally miss? It’s a very low percentage simply because they are scheduled. We go where we are scheduled to be. Consider this same mindset for important tasks and projects. Block large chunks of time on your calendar to work on planning, writing, projects, and so forth. Perhaps it’s one or two hours each day, a half-day once a week, or some other variation. The key is to be intentional with your time.

Next, consider your physical work environment. How many interruptions do you get? Are you distracted by phone calls, email, sounds, and images? Imagine how productive you could be if you had 1-2 hours of quiet, peaceful work time with no interruptions! Potential approaches include:

• closing your door;
• turning off email and forwarding the phone to voicemail;
• leaving the cell phone out of sight; and
• working in an alternative location – a different room, building, in a public space, or at home.

There is no reason to feel guilty about creating time and space for you to do and be your best. Remember to communicate your new approach to your staff, colleagues, and boss. Let them know you are choosing to manage your time in a more deliberate way so that you can become a better leader and to ultimately improve your service to them.  

Delegate

Most leaders and managers recognize they need to delegate more. When asked what holds them back from doing so, the two most common responses provided to me over the years have been (1) they feel guilty about asking a person who is already busy to do more and (2) it would take more time to explain to someone else how to do the task than it would if they just did the task themselves.

Here’s a guiding principle that overrides both of those perceived barriers: as leaders we have the obligation to focus upon the tasks that only we can do. If someone else can do the work – let them! Invest your time doing the work which you were hired to do based upon your unique strengths, abilities, and skills. If someone else can do our work and we withhold the opportunity from them, we have become a barrier to their growth and development.

For more information about why you may not be delegating as much as yous should, visit https://hbr.org/2012/07/why-arent-you-delegating.

Stop Multi-Tasking

Trying to do more than one thing at a time causes us to slow down, as well as be less efficient, accurate, and productive. Complete Dave Crenshaw’s myth of multi-tasking exercise. You’ll quickly become a believer!

DUN DUN DUUUUNNN…Meetings

Much of our valuable time is consumed by meetings, and the meeting before the meeting, the after-the-meeting meeting, and the hallway meetings. Check out these 10 Productivity Hacks provided by SilverDoor.co.uk:

Reflections

Engage your personal leadership to create time and space for doing the most important things. Practice the discipline of identifying your rock each day, scheduling blocks of time to do your work, delegating more, and focusing upon one task at a time. Remember to be intentional with your time, and focus upon what matters most. Please feel free to share your feedback and ideas on ways to take charge of your day!

Nicole Schultheis is an innovative executive in higher education hailed by institutions as “Collaborative…Forward Thinking…a Thought Leader.” With more than 20 years of leadership experience at large research universities, and the U.S. Army, and a Ph.D. from Saint Louis University, Schultheis is known for her leadership in student success, organizational effectiveness, information technology, and enrollment services. When Schultheis is not being a very busy and sought after administrator, she enjoys traveling, exercising, and experiencing nature.

Learning to Ride

At the age of 6, my dad allowed me to ride my first horse in Roundup, Montana. This old gentle grey Appaloosa graciously accepted my unbound enthusiasm and newfound confidence. Since that day, I’ve had a meaningful connection to and appreciation for horses. While growing up, I spent a great deal of time riding, caring for, and learning from them. 

This particular photo of me inspired me to reflect upon the interconnectivity among our lived experiences, learning, leading, and succeeding.

Getting Back on the Horse

When I was 10 years old, I rode Sammy down our dirt road to the neighbor’s home which was about a mile away. Sammy was a very young horse and only green broke – he was just beginning to be able to accept riders on his back. My dad was coaching me carefully as he rode next to me, as green broke horses can be jumpy and unpredictable. Sammy did great! Until…

The neighbor’s dog (old ornery dog named Keen!) nipped at Sammy’s back heels, which caused him to immediately shoot straight into the air on all fours, then proceed into a running and bucking frenzy. After about three jumps, I fell off and landed pretty hard on my right elbow. I was probably more scared than hurt at that point. Despite the tears and having the wind knocked out of me, my dad taught me an incredibly valuable leadership lesson through five simple words – “get back on the horse.”    

In the Saddle Again

It was a wonderful character building moment for me – learning the discipline of accepting and pushing through painful, difficult, ambiguous, or stressful times. This core characteristic served me well in the military, throughout my career, and in the face of personal adversity.

As a rider, it was also my obligation to teach the horse a lesson. His bad behavior was given no special attention - he was not rewarded. In addition, I showed him I was not afraid of him (horses are keenly aware of fear and will use it to misbehave).

Scanning Your Environment

One of the most fundamental skills of riding a horse is staying alert and paying attention to the overall environment. Is it windy? Are storm clouds forming? Are there other animals around? What are the horse’s ears telling you? That’s right! His ear positioning provides valuable intel about the environment. Each unique position tells you if he is relaxed, sees something, hears a noise, or is getting ready to misbehave (e.g. bite another horse, buck, or kick).

Continuously scanning your environment keeps you safe and thriving. The same is true for industry. Market scanning is continuously analyzing the external market to gain critical insights about the following:

• Market needs and new market opportunities
• What your competitors are doing
• Proactive strategies
• Value-added technology and innovation

Businesses and organizations should pay close attention to external forces, and should look to other industries for insights, ideas, and strategies. In higher education, institutions gravitate towards other institutions with a similar size, scope, and mission for insights, learning, and bench marking. 

Imagine the possibilities if institutions put more effort into learning from institutions different from their own, or from the business, healthcare or government sectors. Diversity of thought and perspective sparks creativity, momentum, and success.

Leading With Humor

When you think of a horse what’s the first thing that comes to mind? Perhaps it’s strength, endurance, or unbridled freedom. Did you know they have an intrinsic sense of humor? They find ways, sometimes mischievous ways, to intentionally draw their riders and caregivers into their humor.

Do you find ways to effectively draw others in through the use of humor in the workplace? Effective use of humor can relieve stress, improve morale, change the tone of the entire room, and spur creativity. Of course, the right setting, timing, cadence, and delivery matters. It takes practice. When you find others who use humor well, pay attention to the contextual details so you can sharpen your skills.

Happy Trails

Know that your toes are going to get stepped on at some point. You may fall down or get kicked around. Your ego may get bruised. Yet this fact remains true: we are in control because we have the freedom to choose how we respond. 

One way to build resiliency is to find the things, activities, and people who bring us the greatest joy. Place a renewed focus upon these.

Trail riding is one of the most calming and uplifting experiences. Give it a try! You come away feeling peaceful, and closely connected to the horse and mother earth. 

Happy trails to you now and always.

Nicole Schultheis is an innovative executive in higher education hailed by institutions as “Collaborative…Forward Thinking…a Thought Leader.” With more than 20 years of leadership experience at large research universities and the U.S. Army, and a Ph.D. from Saint Louis University, Schultheis is known for her leadership in student success, organizational effectiveness, information technology, and enrollment services. When Schultheis is not being a very busy and sought after administrator, she enjoys traveling, exercising, and experiencing nature.

3 Tips to Elevate Your Personal Leadership

“It took me a long time to develop a voice, and now that I have it, I am not going to be silent” – Madeleine Albright.


I was delighted to hear Madeleine Albright, former U.S. Secretary of State, speak at the 2015 annual meeting of the American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers (AACRAO) when I was serving as a member of AACRAO’s Board of Directors. Reflecting upon her influential leadership style inspired me to share my voice and lessons learned based upon my experience.

Inner Circle

Keep your trusted inner circle at work small. These are the handful of very special individuals who genuinely care for you, and are extremely loyal and trustworthy. They work diligently for you and intuitively know when to work behind the scenes and when to be overt. These individuals serve as your early warning system – detecting problems and issues before they arise. They always protect you and put you first.

Tip: Because the nature of the relationship is that of a true partnership, consistently give members of your inner circle your time, attention, and care.

Mid-Western Nice

Have you ever attended a meeting and thought, today must be opposite day? The idea proposed by an executive was disastrous. Yet, everyone in the room shook their heads “yes” in agreement, and even commented “good idea!” Yikes. After the meeting the back-channel political work begins – to undo this de facto decision. 

Remember people are not always comfortable saying “no” or giving honest feedback directly to you. They are nice people who are inherently drawn to the notion of being positive, collaborative, and supportive. Thus, they are much more comfortable saying “yes”, or giving positive feedback to you in the moment.

Tip:  Be nice to yourself and others – give meaningful, honest, objective, and direct feedback, as appropriate. Rely upon your inner circle and other networks to help you detect when others are truly behind you, or whether it’s a case of mid-western nice. Finally, pay attention to a room full of nodding heads. Seek to understand by asking probing questions such as tell me more about why you think this is a good idea, or share with me one concern you may have.

Starting Point

Stakeholders are anyone in your organization with whom you interact. Your stakeholders are incredibly diverse with a wide spectrum of perspectives and motivations. Everyone’s starting point is different. As you initiate a dialog, project, initiative, or even a meeting, try to think of the other person’s starting point. Practice Emotional Intelligence by actively listening, asking questions, and reflecting back what you think you hear. What is the person passionate about? What is their mantra? What are their spoken and unspoken needs? 

Tip: Get to know your stakeholders well. Know their strengths, weaknesses, perspective, passion, approach, and networks. Be deliberate about tailoring your communications and interactions to meet their starting point.

Reflections

Take a moment to reflect on the following quote by Madeleine Albright: “It took me a long time to develop a voice, and now that I have it, I am not going to be silent.” How have you used your voice to lift up others, and to advocate for those who are not even in the room? Your comments and feedback are welcome! 

Feel free to “like” or share this post with others. 

Nicole Schultheis is an innovative executive in higher education hailed by institutions as “Collaborative…Innovative…a Thought Leader.” With more than 20 years of leadership experience at large research universities and the U.S. Army, and a Ph.D. from Saint Louis University, Schultheis is known for her leadership in student success, organizational effectiveness, information technology, and enrollment services. When Schultheis is not being a very busy and sought after administrator, she enjoys traveling, exercising, and experiencing nature.