Time and time again, we’re told that to become successful, we need to be effective. What does that mean? How do we become more effective?
To be effective, you need to understand the meaning of the word, the purpose of the action, and be willing to ask the question of what knowledge and what skills you need to become a competent person.
According to the definition by Merriam-Webster, effective means “producing a decided, decisive, or desired effect.”
In simple terms, effectiveness means to do the right things and to do them right. Most people misunderstand the true meaning of effectiveness. Some people even confuse it with being efficient. Being effective and being efficient is used interchangeably, even if it means two completely different things.
Effectiveness means doing the right things, while efficiency is doing things right.
Understand That You Are a Manager
The first step of becoming successful is to understand that you are a manager. This barrier is the hardest one to overcome for entrepreneurs and the self-employed. Once you understand that you are a manager, you can then start learning the act of being more effective, which will lead you to become more successful. One of the essential steps in becoming successful lies in how effectively you can implement solutions and how efficiently you can solve problems.
“One of the most important steps in becoming successful lies in how effectively you can implement solutions and how efficiently you can solve problems.”
To be a manager, you have to be willing to be ahead of the change. You should be excited about the change. It should be what you seek and what you desire. You should never wait for the change to happen; you should create it yourself.
If you are prepared and especially if you are anticipating the change, it will help you make the right decisions. It will make you be in control of the situation, allow you to have a clear direction, and let you deploy the correct principles that will turn into results and value.
The knowledge of understanding that you are a manager first will transform you into an effective person. You will be more concerned about the way you work and the way you, consciously and subconsciously, start following certain principles and rules.
“The knowledge of understanding that you are a manager first will transform you into an effective person.”
In the end, you will learn that it’s not what you do but how you act. Acting like a manager is the first step to becoming successful.
Be Professional and Utilize Your Strengths
Once you understand that you are a manager, the second step to becoming successful is to be professional and to utilize your strengths. Focus on what you are good at and deploy these strengths in your daily entrepreneurship life. You need to eliminate your weaknesses and stop fixating on them. If you are not good at something, ask for help, hire someone, delegate those tasks to a partner or an employee. The center of your attention should focus on your strengths.
“The center of your attention should focus on your strengths.”
Match Tasks With Your Strengths
The third step in becoming successful is to match tasks with your strengths. Matching daily, weekly, or monthly tasks to what you are naturally good at will make you more productive.
Alongside your checklist of tasks, you should never forget that you are a manager. You should always be thinking about objectives, establishing goals, organizing your development, and staying in control.
Matching your tasks to your strengths is how you know that you are doing the right things. Doing the right things will lead to making you effective.
Be Responsible and Implement Management Tools
The final step of becoming successful is to be responsible and to implement management tools. To be responsible, you need to understand that you are a leader. Leaders don’t wait for the change to happen; they create it. Leaders are concerned about their work ethics. Leaders are aware of their reputation. It takes a lot of emotion and energy to be a leader. It’s not only the way you act; it’s mostly the way you think.
“It takes a lot of emotion and energy to be a leader. It’s not only the way you act; it’s mostly the way you think.”
Once you start acting and thinking like a leader, you should focus on creating the management tools necessary to accomplish your tasks. It should not come as a surprise that you have to obey the principles of effectiveness while you do this. Meaning, you have to be professional and utilize your strengths, and you have to match your strengths to your tasks.
These management tools could include your overall job design, budget, personal or company targets, written and verbal reporting, communication, meetings, working methods, and more. Create simple and efficient, yet personal standards and follow them.
“Create simple and efficient, yet personal standards and follow them.”
Now that you understand how to be effective, follow these principles and guide yourself to the road of becoming successful. Instead of reading a book on entrepreneurship, pick up a book on management.
Understand that you are a manager first. Be professional and utilize your strengths. Match daily, weekly, or monthly tasks to your strengths. Be a responsible leader and create and implement your personal management tools that will help you achieve your goals.