How I am an Effective Executive?


'The Effective Executive' by Peter Drucker is considered one of the best books for executive self-management. The reason I am talking about this book is that it finds an executive as a person who has responsibilities to do the right things and self-deploy on priorities that make the most significant impact irrespective of whether you run an organisation. I strongly believe in self-assessments; they not only help me identify areas where I need to put in more work but also boosts confidence concerning my existing capabilities. In this regard, I have identified some of the practices that make me an effective executive.

Exceeding my Expectations

When I am an individual contributor for a project, exceeding my expectations always pays off fruitfully. This practice also has a tremendous impact when I am working in a team. What better influencing tool than showing teammates your self-improvement through your performance? The display of your efforts towards improving the overall quality of a team project is the first and most important step to influence others in the team to do better. This practice stands true both as a team leader and as a valuable member of the team.

Respecting my Best Practices

Every individual is unique, and so is their way to succeed. I have identified the best ways of achieving my personal and professional targets, which I apply when tackling the challenges thrown my way. It involves slight modifications depending on the situation, personal and organisational values, but by respecting and adopting my best practices looking for new ways to solve a problem; it means implementing your best and most efficient methods to find that new way.

Knowing the Purpose

I cannot emphasise this enough - 'Know the purpose!', be it organisational, role or even a meeting. Purpose gives a clear picture of how, where, what and when. When I am aware of the purpose, I make sure that I am well prepared. Consider interview as an example: if I have called in a candidate for an interview, there is a purpose for it. Understanding it well lets me prepare an assessment that targets that purpose. It also saves me and the candidate time, which otherwise would have been wasted on conversations which had nothing to do with the interview.

Finding Patterns

Very often, all of us end up in chaotic situations. Being an organised and productive individual, I always tend to zoom out and analyse the chaos to find a pattern. Firstly finding patterns or a concept helps me group tasks which are similar and saves me from the distress of repetitively finding the same solutions; secondly solving a more significant and generic decision enhances big picture thinking and productivity as well.

Eliminating the Unimportant

Maintaining a to-do list does not guarantee high performance, but prioritising the important and eliminating the unimportant from that list does. As explained earlier, if you are clear on purpose, you will start recognising the tasks which will help you in that pursuit. To get things done efficiently and to focus on the important its vital to clear the clutter. For these reasons, the book mentions having a 'stop-doing' list to maintain discipline and strongly agree and recommend it.

These above mentioned are some of my top practices to be effective. I believe the level of knowledge, hard work and intelligence do not automatically translate into better performance; effectiveness plays a pivotal role during this transition. I would love to hear from you all in the comment section on what makes you an 'effective executive'.

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