{"id":5197,"date":"2021-08-26T10:00:00","date_gmt":"2021-08-26T10:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sonusbenefits.com\/?p=5197"},"modified":"2021-08-26T10:24:01","modified_gmt":"2021-08-26T10:24:01","slug":"the-truth-about-reactive-management","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sonusbenefits.com\/the-truth-about-reactive-management\/","title":{"rendered":"The Truth About Reactive Management"},"content":{"rendered":"

If you\u2019re a business owner or manager of a team, you likely wear many different hats. Especially for small businesses, owners often find themselves going in different directions every day. If this sounds familiar, ask yourself when was the last time you were able to sit down and think ahead? What about actually <\/span>plan<\/em> ahead?<\/span><\/p>\n

All too often, leaders get wrapped up in moment-to-moment tasks, allowing their time to get sucked down the drain of immediate crises. Working in a constantly reactive state can feel good, though. You may be thinking:<\/p>\n

I<\/em>\u2019m a fast and efficient problem-solver!
<\/em>I\u2019m a doer. I get s**t done!
<\/em>I don\u2019t let problems bring me down\u2014I face them head-on! <\/em><\/p>\n

Yes. You probably are all those things. But when you spend 100% of your time being all those things, you miss out on time spent being a strategist, a planner, a thinker, and a visionary! How do you expect your business to grow if you can\u2019t think farther ahead than the next problem brought to you?<\/p>\n

Reacting to every little thing that comes across your path can make you feel like you\u2019re getting a lot done. But while you\u2019re focusing on what\u2019s right in front of you, more significant problems will grow in the background, and you may not even notice them developing. And when they catch up to you, you won\u2019t have the time or energy to manage them.<\/p>\n

Rewiring your approach<\/h3>\n

Although reacting to urgent problems is part of every leader\u2019s job, it\u2019s critical they also make time to manage for the future, not just the current moment. Get a handle on your reactive managing style and start building a foundation for the future by:<\/p>\n

1. Sharing responsibility<\/h3>\n

One of the major issues with reactionary managing is allowing unimportant but urgent tasks to eat up your time. Start practicing the art of delegation and hand off some of these tasks to your team. It can feel scary to delegate, but hopefully, you\u2019ll soon find that your team is more than capable of answering phone calls and emails, calling that cranky client, or fixing a botched order. Save your time for issues that need your<\/em> attention specifically\u2014not just attention in general.<\/p>\n

2. Re-imagining your schedule<\/h3>\n

If you\u2019re wondering where you\u2019re supposed to find the time to plan, look at your calendar and pinpoint areas that can be re-prioritized.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut I don\u2019t have the time!\u201d<\/em> isn\u2019t an excuse.<\/p>\n

Yes, you do have the time. You\u2019ve just decided it\u2019s better spent elsewhere. But is it? Really?<\/p>\n

It\u2019s a safe bet that you\u2019ve got 30 minutes, or even an hour, every day you could re-allocate to a different activity. If you\u2019re not sure where to start, try tracking your time throughout the week, detailing exactly how you spent each moment at work. Chances are, you\u2019ll be unpleasantly surprised by how much time you ended up spending on unnecessary tasks that don\u2019t require your energy.<\/p>\n

Block out designated time on your calendar to spend looking at the big picture of your business. Allow yourself to identify those background problems that are much more easily dealt with before<\/em> they grow, rather than after they\u2019ve boiled over. Hold boundaries around this time. Tell your team you are unavailable during these blocked-out times and give them time to develop their independence with your newfound delegation.<\/p>\n

Treat this time like it\u2019s sacred\u2014because it is! You need that time to make sure your company grows smoothly and efficiently.<\/p>\n

3. Creating, refining, and implementing processes<\/h3>\n

A common issue among businesses that are run reactively is a lack of clear processes for employees to follow. If your management style is running around putting out fires, you probably haven\u2019t had time to build an organized system for solving problems and dealing with spontaneous change.<\/p>\n

Every leader, team, and organization will face roadblocks, speed bumps, and detours. But if you don\u2019t have a map for your team to follow to their destination, the efficiency with which they\u2019ll arrive at a solution will take a big hit.<\/p>\n

It is time well spent to work out and document processes for your team to follow when issues arise. Proactively planning for potential challenges that your team may face will save you a lot of time and energy for when they do appear.<\/p>\n

Be proactive<\/h3>\n

Being quick on your feet and always moving to the next shiny new challenge may be fun at times, but it\u2019ll eventually burn you out and leave you with larger problems. If you want to grow your team or business in a sustainable direction, prioritize strategy and proactively plan for your future. It\u2019s the only way to win.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Content provided by <\/em>Q4iNetwork<\/em><\/a> and partners<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

Photo by artursz<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

If you\u2019re a business owner or manager of a team, you likely wear many different hats. Especially for small businesses, owners often find themselves going in different directions every day. If this sounds familiar, ask yourself when was the last time you were able to sit down and think ahead? What about actually plan ahead?…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":5200,"comment_status":"close","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"content-type":"","_mi_skip_tracking":false},"categories":[33,30],"tags":[34,32],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nThe Truth About Reactive Management - Sonus Benefits<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/insights.q4intel.com\/employers\/the-truth-about-reactive-management\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"The Truth About Reactive Management - Sonus Benefits\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"If you\u2019re a business owner or manager of a team, you likely wear many different hats. 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