The end of the business day is the most anticipated time of day. Everyone, including leaders, looks forward to the end of the day. However, as a Leader while it may be tempting to get up and leave, things are not as simple. All leaders should have an end of day routine that focuses on planning for tomorrow, preparation all the time, and addressing issues of the day. The end of day routine must become a habit for the leader to succeed. Success will come in the form of being a great leader and in turn creating greater leaders.
Plan for tomorrow and the next day (and the next)
As a leader, the most essential skill to master is time management. Once mastered the world is your oyster and success is your pearl. However, every leader must begin long before they can master anything. Therefore, working and working through planning and preparation on a daily basis means one thing your proficiency and mastery will increase. Therefore, start with pen and paper. Put down in writing tomorrow’s plan of action including those involved as well as, materials or items you will need to achieve success. By putting your plan in writing, you have now made it real. Having a tangible plan a leader has a point of reference by which to launch more actions and activities, thus on to bigger and better things.
Recognize Others
Do not let the sunset without reaching out and recognizing those individuals that deserve that recognition. Of course, you should always recognize individuals the moment they do something extraordinary; however, it does not hurt to recognize those individuals one more time. At the end of the day, those recognized should get another congratulatory handshake, pat on the back and a Thank You big enough to take home and share with family and friends. Taking the recognition home is a great morale booster especially for those employees that find themselves feeling like the management and leadership does not even know they exist. As a leader, it is your job to create new leaders. Without recognition, they will never know if they are on the right track to becoming the leaders you are creating. Give them something to go on, something to build on.
Address Workplace Issues
Just like not allowing employee recognition to go unnoticed, the same applies to those annoying workplace issues. Leaving unresolved issues for tomorrow is not an idea any leader should entertain. Quite the opposite, when the unresolved issues involved personnel matters there is not time to waste or delay. There should be no exception when it comes to addressing personnel matters, the sooner the better. Any delay will create stress, increase any animosity, contribute to confusion, and most of all, taint the memory of those involved in the issue(s). By addressing issues immediately, everyone involved can close out today and start with a clean slate, tomorrow.
Take No Work Home
Taking work home is something that is best left for the kids. Homework is usually something that teachers use as a tool for memory and understanding by either writing spelling words or working math problems. For the rest of us, bringing work home is not something that should be considered an option. It is not to say that homework is wrong, it is that if it can be avoided or postponed until the next workday it should. There will be those times you will be tempted to bring work home but do not do it. There has to be a demarcation, a line, in the sand per se but a leader has to know when to close the book on work for the day and pick it back up tomorrow. Then again, if you have to, absolutely have to, then stay a little late and finish what has to be finished, otherwise get home, your family awaits.
Say Goodbye To Everyone
At the end of the day, a leader should try to say goodbye to his/her employees. This is not to say that you should make them wait at the door for permission to leave but you should at least wish them a great evening, say goodbye and say Thank you. While saying goodbye, make certain you are not taking roll or writing down at what time people are leaving. That is now what saying goodbye to everyone is about. What saying Goodbye to everyone is about is ensuring your staff members know you appreciate them and their participation in making your organization better.
Once an individual makes it to a position that allows him or her the opportunity to lead others, as well as manage and supervise others a completely new set of rules are bestowed on that leader. With those rules come responsibilities. Those responsibilities are key to remaining a leader. Remaining a leader is hard work, which is why creating new daily habits to accompany those new rules will ensure that your tenure as a leader remains solid.
Let me know what you think of the 5 Things All Leaders Must Do At The End Of The Day
by email: [email protected] or Twitter: @daveguerra
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Thank you,
David Guerra