Dee Agarwal on 4 Tips for Boosting Productivity as a Leader

Georgia, US, 15th December 2022, ZEXPRWIRE, Strong leaders and managers rise to the top of their field for a variety of reasons, but the most important may be their ability to push their productivity beyond its limits. These leaders gain management skills that enable them to focus on critical tasks to effectively manage their teams, but they still carry with them the skill that propelled them to the top — productivity.

Deepak “Dee” Agarwal, experienced entrepreneur and C-Suite executive, shares with us four ways leaders can be more productive in their role and set an example for their team.

Plans and Goals

Creating a strategic plan and setting goals are important steps in increasing not only a leader’s productivity but also their team’s output. Leaders must envision a bigger picture, demonstrate a solid grasp of the mission and goals of a project, and set the steps needed to achieve them with the help of a clear vision and timeline to work towards. 

“As they lay down the foundations of a strategic plan, leaders must also set realistic goals to help them focus on important tasks and determine whether they are achieving or falling short of goals,” Deepak Agarwal says.

For example, as a leader coordinating a project for their team, or tackling a project on their own, putting a plan in place that outlines each step of the project, who has ownership, and the desired outcomes and goals will clarify what is expected, and assure that the final outcome aligns with project goals. 

Don’t Micromanage

Although micromanagement may seem advantageous in some settings, like when managers want immediate response or action, it’s generally unhelpful and can hinder productivity levels not only for leaders, but also their teams by wasting time on insignificant tasks.

“As a leader, it’s important to let team members do their jobs, not only to free up more of your time but to show the team that you trust their ability to perform and make good judgment. Often, this will empower them to outperform expectations when given the room and confidence to succeed,” Deepak Agarwal says.

Productive and effective leaders always work collaboratively with their team members to achieve goals and will delegate the responsibility not only for managing tasks, but also in making decisions.

Limit Distractions and Prioritize 

With so many pressing items vying for a leader’s attention, and urgent matters that pop up on a daily basis, they have to learn to tune out the noise and prioritize their tasks effectively to balance what is urgent and what is important. As emails or phone calls arise throughout the day with new ‘urgent’ requests, it can be a challenge to focus on larger, important tasks that need to be completed as well.  

In order to be effective, leaders must be proactive rather than reactive with their time. One simple way to do this is to designate time for answering emails and strategically schedule their day with time blocked off for significant work to be done. 

“Keep in mind the difference between urgent and important. Focusing more on urgent matters may result in stress, burnout, and inefficiency in the long run,” Deepak Agarwal warns. “Important, on the other hand, means it can contribute to long-term goals but requires planning and careful action.”

Communicate and Provide Feedback 

In order to stay productive, leaders need to train their teams to be similarly productive to support long-term growth. This happens through establishing open lines of communication for training and taking the extra time to provide the team with helpful feedback. 

The key is to establish a feedback system designed to benefit everyone involved. For example, if a leader provides brief and hostile feedback to their team, they will not have a clear picture of how to improve upon their previous work to succeed in the future, which only maximizes the leader’s workload to make the desired adjustments. On the other hand, if a leader provides comprehensive feedback to their team on what they’re unsatisfied with, or what was missing, the team can easily adjust these issues in the future and bridge the gap between what was delivered and what was expected. 

“Regardless of their performance, employees want to hear how they are doing. Providing them with detailed feedback allows them to create a clear roadmap for improvement and success.” Dee Agarwal points out. 

Additionally, maintaining open communication with employees will give leaders a better idea of what needs to be improved and whether team members can accept more responsibility to support long-term productivity as a cohesive team.