“If you fail to plan, you are planning to fail”
Benjamin Franklin
Time is the most valuable and non-renewable resource a business possesses. Maximizing this precious commodity requires meticulous planning and seamless execution to achieve the desired outcomes. Below are some of the high-level strategies employed by Jeremy James to optimize time, ensure thorough planning, and remain adaptable to inevitable technological or market changes.
Empty seat at the table mentality.
Made famous by Jeff Bezos, Jeremy strongly believes in this approach. The empty seat mentality is that there should be a constant reminder that every decision or action a business makes needs to be considered through the lens of the customer.
Pick a framework KPI, OKR, BSC, or something else?
Depending upon the business and its objectives an KPI, OKR or BSC framework can be used.
If it is a smaller business an Entrepreneural Operating System (EOS) may be more beneficial.
With any of these approaches it allows the measurement and tracking of goals/actions required for the business success. Jeremy James has operated under all of these frameworks successfully.
How do you prioritize tasks?
With time being a finite resource, it is critically important to be able to prioritize tasks/actions.
Jeremy James likes the Eisenhower Matrix for its simplicity, as anyone is able to pick it up quickly and use it effectively.
There are many methodologies in accomplishing tasks (Kanban, Pomodoro, etc.).
Jeremy prefers the Get Things Done (GTD) method as it pairs well with the Eisenhower matrix.
How do you accomplish priorizted tasks?
How do you improve business efficiency?
Jeremy prefers and has successfully utilized Lean Six Sigma methodology to improve business efficiency and the quality of product offerings.
How do you manage change in a organization?
Organizational change can be scary, no matter what level you are at. Transparent and honest communication is key to any organizational change no matter the size of the change. Jeremy utilizes a 4 step communication process, describe the issue, describe what change is being enacted to address the issue, describe the metrics use to measure if the change is successful, frequent status reviews/updates on the change. When reviewing the changes Jeremy uses the Kubler-Ross change curve to help manage expectations.
How do you know when it is time to change a plan?
No matter what framework is chosen, there should be frequent checkpoints. As part of any OKR, KPI etc. there should be success/measurement criteria. When the measurement is not being met, there are 3 options continue the strategy as is, change the approach, change the criteria.
Analysis should be done to determine which option to move forward with.
