INTRODUCTION
There is nothing so useless as doing efficiently that which should not be done at all.
–PETER F. DRUCKER
It’s not surprising that The Effective Executive is one of the most widely read business books in the world. A brief, straightforward book on how an executive can best serve his or her organization, it has, after all, been available continuously for just shy of fifty years. I know I’m not alone in considering it my favorite and most instructive business book.
In The Effective Executive, Peter Drucker provides what he promises in the subtitle: a definitive guide to getting the right things done, complete with all the things an effective executive must do to help keep his or her organization afloat. He explains the “why” and the “what to do” in a superlative manner—as always. If the book has a flaw, however, it’s in not examining the “how.”
How does the modern executive—a somewhat different animal from the executive Drucker defined in 1967—do the job both effectively and efficiently? How does the executive at any level mine that intersection of effectiveness and efficiency to get the right things done right?
Let’s start with the key definitions. Drucker’s book distinguishes between being effective and efficient. Here’s how I differentiate the two terms:
Effectiveness refers to successfully producing the expected or desired result; it’s the degree to which you achieve your objectives, solve problems, and realize profits. In business, effectiveness is summed up by “doing the right things.”
Efficiency is the accomplishment of a job with the minimum expenditure of time, effort, and cost—the shortest distance between a goal and a checkmark. In business, efficiency is summed up by “doing things right.”
Alone, effectiveness isn’t enough to distinguish a good executive, since anyone with the right training or a good manual can do the right things. So can a robot. When effectiveness lacks efficiency, it’s often unproductive. A task that should take four months to complete can end up taking fourteen. Additionally, efficiency without effectiveness can go devastatingly wrong. It doesn’t matter how well your team climbs Mount Everest if your intention was to climb the Matterhorn.
I’m sure you’d agree that executives should work to be not only effective but also efficient. Doing the Right Things Right combines Effectiveness (doing the right things) with Efficiency (doing things right) to yield the most profitable AND quickest route a leader can take to execute goals. Leaders manage time most productively at the intersection of effectiveness and efficiency. Therefore, once you know you’re spending time on the right things, you then focus on doing them right.
WHO IS AN EXECUTIVE?
In today’s business vernacular, we usually assume an executive is someone in a senior leadership position. However, the dictionary defines an executive as “a person or group appointed and given the responsibility to manage the affairs of an organization, and the authority to make decisions within specified boundaries.”
In reality, an executive is someone who executes—almost anyone with the authority to make significant decisions and whose time is spent producing value and/or managing people for the benefit of the organization. An executive might be an emerging leader, a front-line supervisor, a middle manager, a senior leader, or even an individual contributor who hasn’t received a title.
In The Effective Executive, Drucker outlines five effectiveness practices, or what he refers to as “habits of the mind,” for executives to follow, which I summarize as:
• Understand and control where time goes.
• Focus on results.
• Build on strengths.
• Prioritize tasks.
• Make effective decisions.
THE EFFECTIVE AND EFFICIENT EXECUTIVE
To be both effective and efficient, today’s leaders should follow twelve practices (see facing chart). Some of these practices were not as germane in Drucker’s time as they are now, or they were considered too obvious to state explicitly. However, priorities have changed over the decades, and sometimes even the obvious must be spelled out.
These twelve practices, which supplement Drucker’s work and correspond to the twelve chapters of this book, describe how to do the right things the right way. They are up to speed for our modern times, where flexibility, agility, and on-the-spot, in-the-moment execution rule. Today, an executive not only must do the right things but also must carefully ensure he or she does the right things right, wasting as little time as possible in the process.
THE 3T LEADERSHIP MODEL
What leaders actually “do” during the day and where they spend their time can be grouped into three leadership activities that I call the “3T Leadership” roles. These three activities (Strategic Thinking, Team Focus, and Tactical Work) also describe the three parts of this book. As shorthand, I’ll refer to these 3Ts as THINK, TEAM, and TACTICS. The 3Ts are the chief time management roles for leaders:
STRATEGIC THINKING
Acting as the organizational strategist who focuses on business goals.
The executive monitors the big picture and makes sure the team efforts reinforce the company’s goals.
TEAM FOCUS
Serving as the conscientious leader who focuses on employee productivity.
The executive builds and maintains an effective, productive team as the first step toward high performance.
TACTICAL WORK
Being the productive performer who focuses on task completion.
The executive completes his or her individual duties and carries out any day-to-day, operational activities.
The “3T Leadership Model” on the facing page not only aptly summarizes the 3T Leadership Roles with their individual components and associated concepts, but it also summarizes the content of this book. THINK, TEAM, and TACTICS are found at the center of the chart. The twelve chapter titles (the twelve practices for doing the right things) radiate out from the center. Attached to each title are three themes discussed in that chapter.
In general, as an executive moves up the leadership ladder, the percentage of time spent in each category tends to shift, becoming less tactical and more strategic. This focus may also vary according to the executive’s position or immediate project needs. You may not be content with the current mix of your time in these three areas. Perhaps you feel you spend too much time “in the weeds,” dealing with day-to-day operational issues, and not enough time with your team. Or perhaps you spend too much time managing your team’s work and not enough time focused on strategic activities. With the area requiring the largest investment of time listed first, here’s a typical breakdown of the 3Ts for various leadership levels:
The 3T Leadership Roles with their individual practices and associated concepts.
Senior Leadership (VP/C-Suite)
1. Think 2. Team 3. Tactics
Leadership Team (Director)
1. Team 2. Think 3. Tactics
Manager
1. Team 2. Tactics 3. Think
Individual Contributor
1. Tactics 2. Team 3. Think
Are you starting to see that where you spend your time now isn’t necessarily where you should be spending your time? You can get started by taking the 3T Leadership Assessment. It will provide insight into your current level of efficient effectiveness as you prepare to read this book.
START DOING THE RIGHT THINGS RIGHT
Keep the momentum going and continue to develop your time management skills after reading this book! Visit www.3TLeadership.com for free related resources, including a personal journal to take notes as you read, a discussion guide to share with your leadership team, and video lessons to review key learning points.