Expert advice for time-strapped Auckland businesses

Traffic and long travel-times are a fact of life for many Auckland residents and businesses, and this time drain is just another challenge we face in our busy lives. Many New Zealand businesses compete for priority and focus in their employees’ lives, especially when both are faced with reduced staffing-levels, less money and tougher markets. Robyn Pearce, an internationally renowned time management expert, recommends that to improve our lives and/or business we focus on the time we can control rather than what we can’t. "We can’t control the traffic, but we can make good decisions about the time in the rest of our day."

In line with this, Robyn is hosting an Auckland-based breakfast workshop on Friday 9th August 2013 focusing on Delegation and Effective Time-Management. For the first time as a feature of this workshop, Robyn is partnering with Lisa Mackay, HR guru from HRToolkit. Jointly they will share practical strategies to enable businesses to gain back valuable time and get the most out of their employees in the time they have available. 

“On average 28% of productivity is lost per day mainly through interruptions and emails” says Robyn. “Good delegation is a major challenge for most people, but if we can delegate effectively then we can dramatically reduce the amount of interruptions and increase productivity.

“Delegation is not one action, it’s a process” Robyn explains further. “It starts with directing, then coaching, then support and only when our people are fully educated can we expect them to take full responsibility.”

Lisa Mackay agrees, “The best employees know what is expected of them, know what they need to do and know how their efforts are contributing to the overall success of a business.”  

Lisa will be sharing practical advice on how a business can increase their chances of finding the right person from eight to 60 percent.  She will also cover topics such as how to manage staff effectively and the legal steps that need to be followed in the event that someone needs to be exited from the business.  Both segments will be packed full of practical tips to take away and implement immediately and are applicable for businesses and teams of all sizes.

 

Getting a Grip Breakfast Club featuring Robyn Pearce & Lisa Mackay, Friday the 9th of August, from 7.00am – 9.00am at The Parenting Place, 300 Great South Road, Greenlane, Auckland.  Go to www.gettingagrip.com/breakfast-club for more details.

 

1. When directing a task have the person explain back to you what they have understood. This step takes time initially, but often saves hours at the other end.

2. Push your staff into taking responsibility.  If competent people keep interrupting you with questions they should be able to handle, ask them to come with two solutions every time they come with a question.

3. Praise and encourage.  Managers who recognise the power of praise find it a very effective management tool.  Praise releases energy, criticism kills it.

4. Remember – once someone is trained, a good team leader directs what needs to be done, not how it’s done.

5. For many of us mornings are our most productive time – use it for the hard work, the creative work, and the thinking work.