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Greetings!
Do you want to get more done in less time or with less resources? This newsletter looks at Doing more with less.
As an inexperienced manager, I had a bad habit of staying late to "finish my work". It was a strategy doomed to fail. There's always something on the "To Do" list. Equally, the more time you have available, the less efficient you become. And lastly, long working days often reduce your productivity & performance.
Motherhood was the catalyst that forced me to change. As I moved to working 9-5 to fit round my childcare, I had to become ruthlessly efficient. Finally I had delegate more, manage meetings better and prioritise. I had to let go. Scary! For years, I knew what I should have been doing but I just wasn't doing it. Those bad habits were indulged.
Today, it's probably cost pressures that are driving you to change the way you or your team work. R&D costs escalate and mega-brands come off-patent.
Read on to find out how to be more eeficient & effective. I hope you find great ideas from this newsletter to put into practice today.
Sharon Leighton
PS Whilst being a Mum is great fun, it's not the most successful strategy to getting more things done! |
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So what does "do more with less" really mean? What do you want to achieve?
~ Doing more work or being more effective with the resources you already have.
~ Having less resource to achieve the same outcome: fewer staff, less budget, tighter turnaround times, quicker or fewer business processes.
Step 1. Start at the End
Make sure you are clear about your goals.
Do you only want to change your actions or behaviours?
Alternatively, do you need to look at you and your whole team?
In this issue, we'll concentrate on you.
You're aiming to boost your successful behaviours and stamp out your bad habits.
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 Manage your time
Even the most successful managers can benefit from better time management skills.
- Do you know how you use your time?
- Do you waste time trying to find information or paperwork?
- Do you spend all day playing meeting ping-pong or that fruitless game of emptying your email in-box or folders?
- Do you have enough time to think, plan and review?
These are all problems busy managers face every day. Time management could be your strong point but you may still find gains. I bet you already know where you can be more efficient.
Step 2. Analyse how you use your time.
For the next 2 weeks, keep a record of how you use your time, in 30 minute blocks. Choose categories that suit your working day (e.g. team meeting, debrief with secretary, emails, planning, lunch and "don't know").
It can be a shock!
Act on this information but be realistic. What can you
~ Delegate,
~ Do more of or
~ Dump (i.e. stop).
Now look at how you prefer to use your time, e.g. 10% planning, 10% team meetings, 10% reviews & monitoring, 40% meetings, 5% emails or administration etc. |
Cut out time wasters.
What are your worst time-wasting habits?
Not sure? Ask your secretary, a close colleague or your partner.
Step 3. Delegate, organise, prioritise
1. Do you rush in to rescue others? As a helpful person, you probably love to fix problems for other people. But is it the best use of your time?
Idea. Could you stand back & let your team fix their problems themselves? It's a great way to encourage responsibility & error reduction.
2. Do you find email addictive? You have mail. You rush to check who it's from. RESIST! It may be just the person that you want to hear from. But it may also be another task that needs doing which might add to your stress.
Ideas. Only check your email twice a day.
Set up rules on Outlook to move low priority emails like journal contents or updates. Of course, you'll still read this email ;-).
Is your email necessary - would a phone call be quicker and avoid misunderstandings?
3. What's your organisational style? If you're a list-maker with neatly arranged pens & files, you probably have multiple strategies that work for you. But if you thrive on chaos, you'll have a desk covered in files, journals, CDs and must-read company newsletters. Rethink how you work.
Ideas. Choose 1 organisational system that is most successful for you and stick to it!
Electronic folders, email folders and paper files should have the same category names. Consistency will help you file and find information quicker.
Get help - secretaries are fantastic at whipping us into shape!
4. How do you use "To Do" lists? If your "To Do" list has >20 items on it, you probably feel overwhelmed.
Idea. Have a master list of tasks (or use tasks in Microsoft Outlook). As you clear your desk at the end of the day, grab a Post-It pad.
Write down the 3 important things on a Post-It note that you know you can complete tomorrow. It will help you prioritise & set realistic goals.
Do them as soon as possible in the morning. You'll feel happy with your success so you can tackle those bigger tasks more willingly.
These are just some suggestions that may help you. I'm sure you can think up more creative or effective ways to overcome your bad habits and get more done.
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Manage your stress
Managing service provider teams in the pharmaceutical industry is a challenging job right now.
What do you do to manage your stress? What is your lifestyle like?
A healthy lifestyle + fun + doing a job you enjoy = less stress.
Step 4. Make time for you.
If you want to make lifestyle changes, set realistic goals and recruit a friend to help you out and motivate you. Too busy or tired to exercise? Even a 10 minute walk outside your office building can give you a break during the day and refresh your brain.
As it's summer in Europe, you probably have a holiday coming up. Take this opportunity to stand back from your life & re-evaluate it.
Have you got the balance right? Don't take your work with you, check emails or phone work! You'll come back to work energised and ready for action!
Have a great summer and watch out for Doing More with Less. Part 2. Your Team in September. It will cover topics like Six Sigma, outsourcing, collaborations, smarter purchasing, and team working.
Best Wishes
Sharon Leighton | |
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"The first rule of any technology ... is that automation applied to an efficient operation will magnify the efficiency.
The second is that automation applied to an inefficient operation will magnify the inefficiency."
Bill Gates
When I left the corporate world to set up my own consultancy business, I finally had the time & energy to reflect on what I learnt from experience. Those things that the books and courses just don't tell you about.
Some much about management is plain common sense.
Here's your chance to
benefit from a potent mix of common sense, knowledge and experience. |
MEDICAL INFORMATION NEWS & BLOG
Missed a recent PIPA or DIA meeting on Medical Information?
Want to know what's new?
For the busy Medical Information or Medical Affairs professional. |
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EUROPEAN MEDICAL INFORMATION BENCHMARKING SURVEY
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Would you like to know more about the opertaions, successes and issues faced by Medical Information departments across Europe?
Want to compare your department with other companies or countries across Europe?
Share your vision of the future with other people like you?
Supported by the DIA Medical Communications SIAC & PIPA, Janet Davies & I are benchmarking medical information practices survey across Europe.
Click to complete the survey by August 29th & get a copy of the final report & advance copy of Best Practice Guidleines in Medical Information from DIA 2007 Med. Info.conference.
Publication in PIPELINE (PIPA) and Drug Information Journal (DIA) is planned. |
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MISSED PREVIOUS NEWSLETTERS?
Read back issues at
2. Finding the time - Delegation
3. Motivating your team
4. Developing your team | | |
