Busyness does not necessarily equate to productivity.
John Lee, writes in his blog Lessons Learned from the Least Busiest People that real productivity comes from a free mind, not a busy mind. I love his example of the surgeon running from one meeting to another while also trying to stay focused to operate on a person, all the while being distracted by social media.
Are you being distracted from what really matters? Busyness does not equate to really being productive. Steven Covey says that to be most effective, one must begin their planning with the desired outcome in mind. Unfortunately, sales people get caught in the trap of organizing their day based on activity, the To Do list.
Most To Do lists are based upon urgency of the activity versus the importance of the activity. I regularly coach people to read at least one book a month and then blog or have some type of discussion related to what they learned from the book. The number one answer I get is "Yes, I would like to read, but I'm too busy to read." Really, too busy? How much TV do you watch? How much talk radio do you listen to? If you travel a lot, then get audio books to listen to while in the car.
People claim to be too busy to do important but not urgent tasks. In reality, they really don't have any personal goals driving what they do. They are reactionary, thus urgent tasks, whether really important or not, tend to rule their day.
Sales managers can exacerbate this problem by demanding a huge pipeline versus a productive, qualified pipeline. Sales managers want a lot of potential deals to look good versus a few deals in the pipeline. The best sales reps have a small pipeline in terms of the number of deals, but have a very qualified pipeline in terms of those deals closing. Leadership coaching focuses on helping your people prioritize and focus on important things, not just activity. A busy sales process typically does not align well with a customer focused selling approach.
Take an hour once a week and work on important things that are not urgent. I take at least three hours each week to plan my week, work on blogs, read and just clear my mind. At the beginning of each month, I take a morning and develop monthly goals. These goals cover all areas of my life. I use the Wheel of Life model to prioritize my life.
CONCLUSION:
Take some time this week to slow down, breathe quietly without any distractions. As John did, get in a quiet area without any distractions and let your mind wander and think. Do this for a whole hour! The first 20 minutes will be hard, but then you will begin to relax and think. Successful people prioritize thinking over doing.
The Get In the Game process teaches your team how to set goals, prioritize work and life thus improving employee engagement. Teams that have implemented Get in the Game have seen huge improvements in productivity and quality of life, at work and at home. A regional Home Health client atttributed the Get in the Game process to their achieving 27% growth in one year.
Let's talk to see if the Get in the Game process could work for your team as it has done for other companies.
