Comments on: A Brain Map for How to Spend Executive Time

By: Clemens Rettich

Clemens Rettich — Sun, 03 May 2009 05:22:24 +0000

Elegant and concise summary of a serious challenge confronting small business owners, and many mid-level managers.

A solution would seem to me to come either from within (organizations that provide time and mentoring for management to ‘look up’ and act), or from without (business owners working with professional support in marketing, HR, coaching, etc. to support that required shift in focus).

Bottom line… we don’t have to go it alone.

By: Martin Lindeskog

Martin Lindeskog — Tue, 28 Apr 2009 21:27:58 +0000

Cecilia, Thanks for your thoughtful follow-up comment. I will follow you on Twitter and read your blog.

By: The Mindjet Blog » How Do You Spend Your Time?

The Mindjet Blog » How Do You Spend Your Time? — Tue, 28 Apr 2009 15:41:53 +0000

[...] Small Business Trends, I came across an interesting article by Anita Campbell about a brain map for how small business owners spend their time. The original article in the New York Times took an in-depth look at how HP CEO Mark Hurd looks at [...]

By: Cecilia Edwards

Cecilia Edwards — Tue, 28 Apr 2009 13:11:33 +0000

Martin,

You asked “Are Covey’s ideas similar to David Allen’s “Getting Things Done” methodology?” Not really – I think they are complementary. Allen’s Getting Things Done is more about how to be productive and give lots of tools and methodologies for managing things productively and with minimal stress.

The Covey work I was referring to was “7 Habits of Highly Effective People.” It is more big picture, planning, prioritizing than tactical. He does talk a bit about planning your day and has a methodology that could easily include the tactics shared in “Getting Things Done.”

I do love his son’s book “The Speed of Trust” and think this a very important business element worthy of some focused attention.

By: Martin Lindeskog

Martin Lindeskog — Tue, 28 Apr 2009 10:18:42 +0000

Cecilia Edwards:

Are Covey’s ideas similar to David Allen’s “Getting Things Done” methodology? I have started to read Speed of Trust by Stephen M.R. Covey. I think it is very important to create a culture of trust, internally in the company, and externally. Look at the whole supply chain and take care of bottle necks and constraints in the organization.

For more on GTD, please read my post, Getting Things Done Stuff, by clicking on “Martin Lindeskog” Says.

By: Cecilia Edwards

Cecilia Edwards — Tue, 28 Apr 2009 09:48:37 +0000

While the internal/external focus is important, it is equally important (or maybe even more so) to look at Covey’s time management quadrants. Getting stuck in the cycle of focusing on the urgent/unimportant – aka putting out fires – is the downfall of many entrepreneurs.

Planning your efforts is key to getting in front of the demands of your business and allows you to spend time in a manner that will most increase the value of your business.

Cecilia Edwards
Equipping Businesses for Phenomenal Success
http://www.ceciliaedwards.com

By: Dallon Christensen

Dallon Christensen — Mon, 27 Apr 2009 23:59:31 +0000

This post brought me back to one of my favorite MBA projects. One organizational management class allowed me to review the time diaries of two business leaders. One ran a local radio station he owned, and the other was a factory manager of a large manufacturing organization. This exercise allowed me to see what each leader thought was important to the organization.

I am not surprised by some of the comments saying that a small business owner can focus too internally. My advice would be, if one can afford it, to hire a contract or project-based professional to focus on the internal operations of the business. A business owner must be primarily outward facing to the market, customers, and competition. There is no question that internal operations and efficiency are very important, but you can find people who really enjoy that type of work so you can focus on the outside environment.

By: Business Plan Writer / Consultant

Business Plan Writer / Consultant — Mon, 27 Apr 2009 20:52:36 +0000

Nice variation of a SWOT analysis. Thanks

By: How Do You Approach Time Management? « Mysolutionspot’s Weblog

How Do You Approach Time Management? « Mysolutionspot’s Weblog — Mon, 27 Apr 2009 20:17:18 +0000

[...] focusing their thoughts on a few particular subjects. Check out Anita Campbell’s article, “A Brain Map for How to Spend Executive Time,” to see how Mark Hurd, CEO of HP, spends his thinking time. Then ponder how you, a small business [...]

By: Ted Hurlbut

Ted Hurlbut — Mon, 27 Apr 2009 14:08:36 +0000

I think the distinction between internal and external is helpful, but I’ve always preferred to think in terms of a timeline when working with my small retail clients. Most are so embedded in the here and now that they are not able to anticipate what’s around the corner, much less take the time to plan out six months, twelve months, two years or five years into the future. Show me a small retailer that actually takes the time to plan in detail, and create a roadmap for the future, and I’ll show you a retailer that far more likely than not to be very successful.