The importance of self-management for an effective leader
An often stated nugget of wisdom is, “you can’t manage others unless you can manage yourself.” I have found this to be highly accurate. As an employee gains more responsibility, time management, process management, and increased cognitive load can be challenging.
About 15 years ago, I was a full-time faculty member leading an academic program. I decided to return to school to pursue a doctorate, but I was already struggling at times with work-life balance. I took a management course and expected to focus on how to manage employees, tackling concepts such as evaluation, feedback, and conflict resolution. Eventually, we got to those topics, but we spent the first half of the semester focusing on the management of SELF.
Through reading various books and articles, discussion with my professor and peers, and trial-and-error application of what I learned, I established some habits that significantly expanded my capacity for additional responsibility. As you examine your current context or accepting additional responsibility, consider these aspects of self-management:
how you organize your time, including daily, weekly, and monthly perspectives
how you manage your “to do” list (eventually, post-it notes and phone reminders will not be enough!)
how you approach and organize your email
how successful you are in achieving work-life balance
Small tweaks in some of your approaches can lead to significant improvements, decreasing your cognitive load (what you have to constantly remember) and your errors (being late, missing deadlines, etc.). If you find yourself not keeping up or feeling constantly overwhelmed, consider a coach who can help you further your self-management skills and transform your professional experience.
