Great leaders will tell you that productivity is not about getting things done – anyone can get things done if they wake up early enough and go to bed late at night. Productivity is about efficiency and effectiveness; it is about getting things done in as little time as possible using the resources at hand. How do they do it? Are great leaders born with something that the rest of us aren’t? As a matter of fact they are not – they have only taken the time to learn some important lessons and they practice them every day. Whether you are a CEO, a regular employee, an athlete or a stay at home mum there are lessons that you can learn from great leaders that can make you a more productive person.
If you want to see greatness you must think big. You must always have long term goals – what is it that you plan to achieve in the end? Once you have the big picture you can break it down into small achievable goals and then you can track your progress. If you find that you are falling behind or have lost sight of the big picture you can always go back to the beginning and correct you course.
Take one step at a time
One of the most common problems with people who don’t achieve much in their lives is that all they do is dream – they never actually get things done. As the old adage goes, every journey starts with a single step. Once you have a big-picture plan it is time for you to break it down into achievable goals. Start with one goal at a time. Whether you are dealing with a project at work or your life plan you have to take action to make it a reality.
Don’t give up
How many times have you set out to complete a project only for you to give up halfway through? Great leaders will tell you that you will not get very far if you are not patient. For every goal you achieve there will be obstacles along the way so you must persevere. Find ways to overcome them and get help when you need it.
Don’t ever settle for less than what you think you can achieve
One of the reasons why great people are great is because they do their best in everything – they never give any task half their effort and then settle for whatever little they are able to accomplish. If you set out to accomplish a certain goal you must do everything in your power to achieve that goal. It may take time, lots of effort and even some heartache along the way, but if you keep giving it your best you will get there eventually.
There are different ways to achieve any goal
Imagine that you are trying to get to a very important destination, but somewhere along the way you find a big road block. Will you give up on your destination or will you find an alternative route to get to it? There is always more than one way to achieve a goal, so if you don’t succeed the first time try a different way and keep trying until you do.
