The productivity expectations that executives face have never been tougher. We are always on and daily technological advances seem to make our workday harder and longer rather than easier.
This avalanche of expectations has led to a self-defeating problem: there is an epidemic of wishful thinking in industry today. Objectives are too lofty, priority lists that are overwhelming and project lists are bottomless.
One of the primary jobs of senior marketers and agency executives is to manage priorities in a manner that helps the organization to succeed. In virtually all situations, this means reducing the workload. Quantity kills; quality sets you free. And there is a simple habit that can help.
Of course, there is no one size fits all approach to how to reduce the project list. But there is a critical day-to-day behavior that can dramatically help your organization succeed:
Make decisions briskly and live with them.
This does not mean that you should be reckless, or that you should make important decisions without due diligence. Rather, it means that when the proper amount of due diligence has happened, make a decision and move on.
Nothing complicates an organization more than an executive that prevents efforts from “finishing.” Executives that constantly revisit the same work, seeking new “looks” and new versions, end up debilitating the organization.
Make a principled decision, own it, communicate it and move along.
Steve Boehle, founder, and partner at Mercer Island Group has led consulting teams on behalf of clients as diverse as Ulta Beauty, Microsoft, UScellular, Nintendo, Kaiser Permanente, Holland America Line, Stop & Shop, Qualcomm, Brooks Running, and numerous others. He founded MIG after serving as a division president in a Fortune 100 when he was only 32. Earlier in his career, Steve Boehler cut his teeth with a decade in Brand Management at Procter & Gamble, leading brands like Tide, Pringles, and Jif.
Mercer Island Group helps marketers and agencies succeed. Company leadership is as much at home with marketers and their C-Suites as in an agency’s boardroom. With marketers, Mercer Island Group is a top 5 agency search consultancy covering all types of agency relationships (creative, media, web, PR, experiential) and assists marketers with marketing organization structure, workflow and critical skill development (briefing, creative evaluation & feedback, etc.). The company also supports leading and aspiring agencies with positioning, pitch and strategy training and pitch support.