Author Greg McKeown writes in his popular book Essentialism how LinkedIn Executive Chairman Jeff Weiner considers “fewer things done better as the most powerful tool for effective leadership”. Like many other growing technology companies, Weiner might have easily tried to pursue multiple directions for the company. Instead, he said no to many good opportunities in order to focus only on the very best ones. He uses the acronym “FCS” (for “focus“) to teach his philosophy to his teams. For Weiner and his employees, “FCS” stands for:
- Fewer things done better.
- Communicating the right information to the right people at the right time.
- Speed and quality of decision making.
McKeown interviewed and gathered data from Jeff Weiner and over five hundred other people on more than one thousand work teams. He found that when there is a high level of clarity of purpose, teams and individuals thrive. Conversely, when there is lack of clarity about purpose, people are often confused, stressed, frustrated and eventually fail.
Clarity Brings Success
The principle of “less but better” is useful in building successful teams. In addition, it is helpful for individuals to live more productive and rewarding lives. Effective leaders, through effective communication of clarity and focus in purpose, create unified teams which helps them identify and decide which opportunities and activities are most important. For people who lead in any capacity, whether that is a small team at work, a large department or company, or a group in your community, applying the “less but better” approach will help you and your teams reach your goals and achieve success.
“It’s About Time” to gain control!
The “FCS” strategy is just one we share with clients who want to be more productive at work and home. The topic of our “It’s About Time” virtual productivity program for the month of July is “We’ve Got to Stop Meeting Like This”. This includes strategies like those shared above to get at the purpose for conducting a meeting, crafting a powerful agenda, and how to follow up from it to ensure that it was productive. These strategies help strengthen team and 1:1 meetings. They’re applicable for those who lead meetings, and for those who attend and want to be productive participants, perhaps even helping to “manage up.”
If you spend time leading or attending meetings as part of your work, now is a great time to join!
Want private coaching custom tailored to your needs and situation? If your to-do list is overwhelming you, let’s talk. If you could just use some help tuning up your daily habits and routines to boost your productivity, schedule a free, no-risk Discovery Call today. We would love to discuss how Simply Placed can help!
