As a result, we turn to efficiency as a method of accomplishing these goals, which would otherwise be impossible to fulfill. It’s a virtue highly sought after in both managers and leaders, and is generally held in high regard in the business sphere.
Yet, there are 4 silent killers you might not be fully aware of that can heavily impact your efficiency and slow the progress of your daily tasks. Here’s a complete psychological analysis of these four deviants as well as tips on how to successfully avoid them.
1. Perfectionism
Although many regard perfectionism as a positive trait, it’s actually quite the opposite when it comes to leader’s efficiency. Why? There are three reasons actually, the first one being that perfectionists often impose impossible standards on themselves. Consequently, this leads to needless procrastination as they’re too afraid of failing and thus are not able to achieve the high standards they have set for themselves.
Similarly, when leaders set unrealistic deadlines for their workers and co-workers because they impose these high standards onto them as well, they create a negative environment full of frustration and stress for their colleagues.
Moreover, if someone would ask for their help, they’d see this as a sign of weakness and incompetence. This is not what an accomplished leader should be trying to achieve. Instead they should be promoting teamwork and synergy because those are the things that lead to increased efficiency between co-workers.
2. Information overload
Thanks to the recent technological advancements, information sharing has become so easy and accessible that pretty much everyone with an internet connection exposes to millions of terabytes worth of data. That number is absolutely insane, and it’ll only continue to rise.
Our technology may be advancing at the speed of light, but our brains certainly weren’t wired to withstand such enormous stream of data on a daily basis. Our senses are so overstimulated by the sheer amount of information we’re being bombarded with that we become paralyzed. We’re unable to make sense of it, thus making us inept and inefficient.
In order to solve this problem, take a step back and get a good look at the bigger picture. Moreover, be creative and focus on generating new ideas rather than searching for the answers online. If surfing the Internet is a necessary part of your daily routine, some appropriate media intelligence could also come in handy.
3. Not being effective enough
Many people confuse efficiency with effectiveness. The distinction, though, is quite important and sometimes even makes a difference between succeeding and failing.
Effectiveness means focusing on the process, doing business in the long run, while efficiency stands for the ability to complete goals as fast as possible, by any means necessary, in the sense that the end result justifies the means.
Focusing just on efficiency will probably bring you some initial results, but overdoing it will only strain the relationship you have with your colleagues, as a consequence of putting too much pressure both on them and yourself, as was the case with perfectionism.
This is why you should strive for a balance between efficiency and effectiveness, which means doing things in such a way that won’t damage your working relationships.
4. Learning, but never relearning and unlearning
Finally, an efficient leader must adopt thinking outside of the box. Master Yoda once said “you must unlearn what you have learned”, and this is definitely the case when it comes to efficiency.
Doing things the conventional way is not always the most optimal path. Every so often we need to challenge more traditional methods in favor of new innovative approaches and to let go of what once worked for us in order to gain new knowledge and form new, beneficial habits. Self-improvement is a never-ending process.
Hence, we should listen to master Yoda and find new ways to solve old problems by reshaping our previous experiences, relearning and unlearning what we already know, while constantly striving for the new knowledge.
To sum up, efficient leaders need to find a balance between their overall efficiency and how effective they actually are. In the business world, the end result does not always justify the means as leaders with such an aggressive approach usually impact their co-workers negatively. Likewise, perfectionism, information overload and conventional thinking are its partners in crime which will rob you of your success if left unchecked.
About the author:
Jolene Rutheford is a marketing specialist-turned blogger, currently writing for Bizzmark Blog Technivorz. Interested in media and social media, digital marketing and psychology. Loves coffee, jazz, dystopian and fantasy movies.
