Author: klforhan (Page 4 of 5)

Calendar!!

Ok, so your space is useful and well organized, so now what? You need to get your calendar up and running.  Depending on the complexity of your workplace, you may get  dozens if not hundreds of emails a day, countless phone calls, tweets, IMs ….we are all drinking from a fire hose. Most days we are lucky to get to the to-do list by the end of the day. I think this is why so many of us like to work before or after regular office hours, because the constant interruptions are fewer!

In order to stay ahead –or at least not get blind sided– by the unpredictable, it is a great practice to see if we can predict the predictable.  Every workplace has a few standard projects and meetings that recur every week or month or year. Getting those up on your calendar from the start is extremely helpful.

Calendar:

______Do I have all standing meetings on my calendar? Do I need to change any of them?

For example, your predecessor had a weekly staff meeting every Monday at 10.  Put it on the calendar for the coming year, or forever if you like. But maybe that doesn’t work for you because you need some time on Monday to prepare for that meeting.  Before you change it to 2 pm tho, check to see if that conflicts with something else you have to do, like meet with other department heads!  Discuss  it with your staff, but if it is truly your meeting, you get decide what is most useful to you.   Maybe your boss meets with department heads on Tuesdays at 10, no matter what.  Put it on the calendar.   Add Board meetings, end of year celebrations–any gatherings of people that take place on a regular basis, even if only once a year. You can add a calendar alert to give yourself prep time as needed.

­­______Have I scheduled regular one-on-one meetings with my supervisor?

This especially useful if you a working in a new office, or geographical area or in a new industry. Not only will you get to know your supervisor better, and she you, but you’ll be able to get a better sense of mission and goals.  Of course check with your boss first.  And always make sure you have something to discuss.  Don’t waste their time either. You can always cancel the meeting if you have nothing to discuss, but it may be harder to get on the calendar than to get off it.

______Have I scheduled weekly staff meetings?

These have to be real meetings, not just coffee and gossip (although that may have its place too). Each individual should report on what is going on in their area so they can ask for help from each other and from  you if it is needed. This is an important part of cross training and succession planning. If no one knows what anyone else does, what happens when there is an unexpected illness or resignation? I have found that some passive aggressive behavior–say, someone in another department making it hard for your staff member to get needed information–may need to be resolved by a phone call or email from you.

______Do I have a projects due list?

What exactly is your job? Do you have to supervise personnel, do quarterly reports, balance the books?  Do any of these entail annual reviews, monthly one- on- ones with budget numbers, client/patient/customer/student lists, staff reports?  Once you know what your job is, you can move to the next question, which is:

______Are important project dates on the calendar?

Maybe all personnel reviews need to be completed  in July, or on the anniversary of hire. Look them up and get them on the calendar, with some lead time to do the work.  Maybe your budget is always due in March. Schedule time on your calendar to work on it in February. 

Yes, all this is a lot of work when starting a new job. But “front loading” the framework of your day, week, month, quarter and year gives you a scaffold on which to build.

New Employee Checklist 2: Office Layout:

Ok,  now that you have keys, and know what they open, what do you need in your office?  Organizing your physical space is important.  Cube or corner suite, it is the same!

­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­______Is there an unobtrusive way for me to see the time no matter where I am sitting in the office?  (This one is so important!  One of the most common complaints consultants hear is some version of the following:

“I feel rushed–he is always looking at his watch.”

“I don’t think he takes me seriously–he keeps looking at his phone.”

“She is always late to meetings. We all have to wait around until her highness shows up.”

Being able to see a clock of some sort no matter where you are sitting in your space keeps you from making these fundamental errors. If you have ever been guilty, you know that it is typically because you have something else coming up. It might be a meeting with your boss, a dental appointment scheduled, or your next meeting. But it makes the person you are talking to feel diminished. Having a clock placed where you can see the time without being discourteous allows you to move the meeting along in a graceful way if you do have another commitment.  Part of good leadership has to do with making those around you feel important and valuable. More about that in another post!)

______Do I have A to Z files? Confidential files? Do I know where to find things?

(Now maybe you have phenomenal support staff that can always find whatever you need, whether it is the agenda and supporting materials for the next meeting, or your own notes for a project. Most of us are not that lucky.  In this era of  streamlining, most people that I know have to provide their own support, either because a single administrative assistant is shared by the whole office  or simply because we have to provide our own support.  Even highly paid professionals, like physicians have to provide their own administrative support. That is what it means when your doc comes into the exam room with an Ipad so she can take notes in the age of electronic medical records. )

______Do I have space available to meet with individual staff or visitors? Weekly staff meetings?

(If you have a large office, a small round table can easily seat a team of four or five.  If you have a small office you may be able to meet with a single individual. But there will definitely be situations where you’ll need a larger space. In a well organized office, meetings may be scheduled in an appropriate space as a matter of course. But what happens if it is a spontaneous “pick up” meeting? Having done some preparatory thinking–and being knowledgeable about spaces and protocols for their use, is part of good management. 

And you Cube Dwellers, what about you? Early in my career,  I once shared an office with a lovely person who was respectful of the fact that we had a shared space. But I occasionally had to meet with a student who wanted to discuss personal issues without an audience.  Having scouted out appropriate spaces in advance was very important.  My most productive space was a walk around the college quad, even in winter.  Students were more open when walking side by side, and I didn’t not have to worry about anyone misreading a closed office door.  Now, many years later, I have had large offices and adequate space. But I still think taking a walk with someone is a little known facet of “management by walking around!”)