Managing talent : a question of time?

Time often feels like it is running away from us, that we can’t control it. Many of us feel that we don’t have sufficient time in the day, and there’s often the feeling that we are constantly fighting for time. Managers often say they are so busy with the operational elements of their job, that often come with set deadlines and a degree of short-term urgency, that they don’t have time to develop their teams or coach them because it takes time they simply don’t have.

We all get the same amount of time : 24 hours a day. It is one of the very few equal resources we have in the world that truly doesn’t vary from individual to individual. What we do with the time we have is however what sets us apart. It is what makes some people procrastinators and others performers.

Good time management, organizing, planning, time-boxing, will enable us to work smarter, harder, and more productively. In so doing, not only do we become a better performer, but we also reduce our stress and help keep our mind in shape. The more you feel in control of time, the more confidence you feel in allocating your time. By increasing your confidence, you will feel happier and more relaxed and better able think and therefore be in a better state of mind to help others reach their goals. Harnessing control of your time will help slow things down : taking a grip of the reins might have tamed the rearing horses in Thornycroft’s statue of Boudica opposite the iconic symbol of time: the clock tower of the Houses of Parliament in London.

For my part a significant volume of workload for a highly strategic project is peaking right about now, so this article is a little shorter, almost a week later, and less throroughly thought through than normal. Nevertheless, here’s some musings on the links between time and managing talent.

Time for your own self development

The first key essential to remember is to allow yourself time for your own development. So many times when managers are invited to take part in development initiatives they either don’t take up the invitation in the first place, or register but then don’t show up on the day citing the lack of time, and the need to prioritise operational day to day work and urgencies. Sadly in so doing they deny two important things: firstly that someone in their organization perceived they needed development, and second the day to day work is the here and now, it’s a short term gain, whereas investing time in development is building the future. Prioritising the short term over the longer term future is never a great way of demonstrating visionary ability or support for development, and as such will reflect poorly on your reputation as a manager. Always make the time for your own development.

A step in time saves nine

Over and above not having time for their own development managers often also say they don’t have time to spend with their employees in their team for development conversations or coaching support. As with all things it’s important to invest the time on the short term in order to gain it in the long term.

Managers who fail to invest the time with their employees will ultimately find themselves doing more of the job themselves because their employees will not have the skills they need to do it autonomously. ?Putting the time in during the short term can often lead to freeing up time further down the road because employees will be better enabled to understand the activities of the team without support if they’ve been helped to learn and develop their skills.

Remember that upskilling and learning cannot always be palmed off to HR on training courses and that the vast majority (90%) of learning takes place on the job through experience and exposure. Just 10% of learning comes from formal training. The manager and the team’s role in supporting this skill acquisition is therefore crucial and needs to be organized. Without this initial investment in ensuring the right level of skill, it is not possible to gain additional time through effective delegation or coaching.

Delegation to the team

As we saw last month, a delegating management style works best for high skill high motivation employees. Assuming you have either hired competent team members or invested the time to help the team to acquire the skills to do the task, delegating to them bears two distinct advantages : firstly it frees your time from doing the activity yourself, and secondly it empowers the team which in turn contributes positively to their level of engagement and motivation, as having autonomy in the workplace is a key component to workplace happiness. Delegating doesn’t however resolve you of the overall responsibility for the activity, so don’t forget to factor in time to ensure that the delegation is clearly defined with a measurable objective, supported as necessary during the delegation and that you take the time to provide feedback afterwards. ?

Accompanying the team

Selecting the right way to support and accompany your employee depending on their skill level and the complexity of the job in hand will save you time in the long run. ?Whilst highly impactful in helping employees find solutions by themselves and become more autonomous, coaching is not always the best solution. Coaching is again a medium, rather than a short term, gain. It is quicker just to tell someone what to do and how to do it, rather than accompany them to think about potential solutions by themselves with some probing and insightful questionning. Sometimes however time is of the essence (for example in crisis situations) and you will need to be more directive, other times you’ll need to spend some time sharing your advice or mentoring guidance. In some circumstances, just getting out the way altogether and facilitating the team’s ability to work without your input is the optimal approach.

Focus on the future not the past

One thing is sure with time: it only goes one way, and that is forwards. There is little point ruminating about the past, crying over spilled milk. If something goes awry, tackle it in the here and now rather than putting it off to a later date. Look forward into the future, and help your employees to do the same. Not only will this help with organization and planning of the tasks in hand, but this future focus is also a powerful means of working on developing their full talent potential.

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Alan Lambert, Fellow of the Institute of Leadership and Management, is an International HR leader currently working at the Corporate HR Strategy division of a global energy major and is a Linkedin Talent Voices Talent Advocate award winner.?