Business leaders must learn to step back to achieve success, says recruiting experts Hays
CEO of recruiting experts Hays, Alistair Cox, says business leaders need to sometimes step off the “treadmill of busyness” and give themselves space to focus on areas and issues which add more value to their organisation.
The modern workplace is more demanding than ever, as technology has allowed professionals to always be connected. This in turn could be having an impact on workplace culture, as professionals are concerned that if they are not seen to be busy all of the time, others may think they are not providing value to their organisation.
Alistair explains; “The world of work is changing, it’s demanding more from us. It’s demanding more creativity. It’s demanding more strategic thinking. It’s demanding skills we might not have. And if we’re constantly running on a relentless treadmill of busyness, and never take a breath, how will we ever be able to meet the increasing demands that are being placed on us?”
Alistair states that it is now an accepted cultural norm that being busy automatically equates to productivity and success, however, he believes this isn’t true and business leaders must instead give themselves and their teams space and time to think, to be in the best position to be truly productive and innovative.
Alistair provided just some of the potential benefits of breaking free from the cycle of constantly being busy.
1. The ability to focus on what matters and being better at prioritising - By stepping back, business leaders will be much better equipped to focus on what really matters, Alistair explains, “Freeing up some time to think will also lift that mental fog that comes with having to spin lots of plates at the same time, and help you see things more clearly.”
2. Generating better ideas - By occasionally disconnecting from work, business leaders will be better equipped to think in non-linear ways and generate better ideas, Alistair says, “It’s those ideas that are the real indicator of success in the future world of work, not how ‘busy’ we are. The sooner we realise that, the better.”
3. More able to adapt to change - Being able to adapt to change is essential to success in the modern world of work and therefore business leaders must allow themselves time to learn. Alistair comments, “In the long run, spending time to educate yourself and to open both your eyes and your mind now and again, is far more valuable than ticking ten things off your to-do list every hour.”
4. Learning relevant skills more regularly - Alistair states that being busy often leads to people doing the same thing day after day, which will lead to nothing new, Alistair explains, “The mind is a muscle – so if it’s constantly busy operating within its comfort zone, never really being stretched or challenged, it won’t develop.”
5. Feeling happier and more fulfilled - Taking the time to think more strategically and look to the future can be fulfilling and motivating, Alistair adds, “Not only will this allow you to feel more proactively connected to the bigger picture and wider purpose of your organisation, but you’ll also feel more engaged in your work, which, of course can ever only be a good thing.”
Alistair also offered his advice to business leaders on how they can achieve a healthy balance between their busy workloads and finding the time to take stock and reap the benefits of a less busy schedule.
1. Change of mindset – Alistair advises business leaders to change their mindset from believing that busyness will lead to success and instead “Understand that just because you’re not seen to be run off your feet, darting from meeting to meeting, sending hundreds of emails, that doesn’t mean you’re not delivering far more value and driving the right results.”
2. Stop worrying about other people’s perception – While it is only natural to worry about what people may think about your approach to work, Alistair states, “It’s the results and value you deliver which are most important, not how many emails you send out in any given day, or how quickly you respond to an email at 10 o’clock at night.”
3. Understand that your time is precious – Alistair reminds business leaders that their time is valuable and therefore they should use it wisely on the tasks that add the most value. Alistair suggests business leaders ask themselves what the one thing they want to achieve that day is and “Focus your efforts on making that one important thing happen.”
4. Start to let go – It isn’t possible for business leaders to do everything themselves, no matter how productive they are, Alistair advises, “You need to mentally ‘let go’ of those lower-value tasks you’ve been busying yourself with for years. Realise that you have a highly skilled and competent team around you who are ultimately there to help you deliver results.”
5. Disconnect – It’s important to step away from the computer and the office, by taking a break once in a while, Alistair states, “You’ll find that your mind starts wandering to new ideas and ventures, and you’ll return to the office re-energised and ready to have a focused and productive rest of the day, with a number of decisions already taken.”
Alistair believes by accepting these benefits and adjusting their working schedule, business leaders can begin to make themselves and their teams less busy, so they are better able to adapt to change and learn new and relevant skills.
Alistair closes by saying, “No longer should ‘busy’ be seen as a badge of honour, something to be proud of or even boast about. Instead, it’s time we all got into the habit of stopping and pausing once in a while – after all, making the time to think is where we’ll find the real route to success.”
About Hays
Hays plc (the "Group") is a leading global professional recruiting group. The Group is the expert at recruiting qualified, professional and skilled people worldwide, being the market leader in the UK and Asia Pacific and one of the market leaders in Continental Europe and Latin America. The Group operates across the private and public sectors, dealing in permanent positions, contract roles and temporary assignments. As at 30 June 2019 the Group employed 11,500 staff operating from 265 offices in 33 markets across 20 specialisms. For the year ended 30 June 2019:
– the Group reported net fees of £1,129.7 billion and operating profit (pre-exceptional items) of £248.8 million;
– the Group placed around 81,000 candidates into permanent jobs and around 254,000 people into temporary assignments;
– 18% of Group net fees were generated in Australia & New Zealand, 27% in Germany, 23% in United Kingdom & Ireland and 32% in Rest of World (RoW);
– the temporary placement business represented 57% of net fees and the permanent placement business represented 43% of net fees;