Being effective and being effective are concepts that most people do not know the difference between. Being effective means getting results by spending less resources. For example, doing more work in less time means being effective. Being effective means getting the result one aims for. For example, being able to go on a diet and lose weight, doing sports and having a good body, making the right decision while managing a company, implementing it and reaching the goal. Being effective means getting results.
Of course, I care about being efficient and doing more with less resources, but the most important thing in life is to be an effective person. As Peter Drucker said, doing a job very effectively that should never be done is probably one of the most pathetic situations a person can find themselves in. But unfortunately, many companies spend months or even years trying to do things that should never be done perfectly.
Anyone can learn to be effective. According to Peter Drucker, effective people are
1. They Question What Should Be Done
Every person has many tasks to do every day. The first condition of being effective is to distinguish which of these are important and which are priority, and to decide what to do and implement them. Separating the urgent from the important is essential to being effective. If a person constantly spends his days doing urgent things, that is, if he is always in a hurry, he will not find time to do the important things that need to be done. It is not possible for a person who does not know how to use time correctly to be effective. Therefore, in order to be effective, it is necessary to know how to manage time and create time to do the important things.
2. “What is right?” in every environment they are in. They Ask the Question
Instead of thinking about whether a decision should be made in favor of the customer, the boss or the employee in a company, effective people ask what is right for the company in question and make decisions accordingly. “What is right?” Asking the question and acting accordingly is a principle that effective people follow in every environment they are in. This principle serves as their compass in every situation.
3. They Develop an Action Plan
Effective people turn their decisions into action and implement them. Because a decision that does not turn into action has no value. Effective people also know that every plan they make must change as life brings. For this reason, they review their plans at regular intervals and make the necessary changes.
4. They Take Responsibility for the Decisions They Make
They are aware of whether they have the necessary resources (time, information, money…) to implement the decisions they make. They weigh whether not only themselves, but also the people they work with and have work done for, have the time, knowledge, physical, financial resources or desire to do the job in question, and they allocate the work accordingly. They also consider who and how will be affected by each decision they make and keep these people informed of the decisions they make.
For example, in many workplaces, senior managers decide to discontinue a product but forget to inform the purchasing department of this decision. The purchasing department continues to purchase packaging materials for this product, which will never be produced again. Situations like this are more common than you think, both in workplaces and in people’s private lives.
5. They Take Responsibility for Communication
Effective people take responsibility for communicating the decisions they make. They explain their plans, listen to the comments of those who report to them, those who work with them, and their superiors, and if necessary, they make changes to their plans and put them into practice. It is not possible for any decision to be successful without the necessary communication.
6. They Focus on Opportunities, Not Problems
Of course, problems are important and need to be solved, but solving problems does not get anyone forward. Because opportunities are more important in life, effective people focus on opportunities. For this reason, change does not scare them, they think of seeing the opportunities in change, not the threats, and using them to their advantage.
7. They use their time efficiently and have productive meetings
Every meeting has a goal, and effective people are aware of who they are meeting with and why. They take care to use both their own and others’ time efficiently. They do not go beyond the topic of the meeting and do not waste anyone’s time unnecessarily. They record what decisions were made at each meeting and track whether the decisions are implemented.
8. They Speak in We, Not in I Language
A common feature of effective people is the value they give to those who work with them. They understand people and take their needs into consideration. They glorify the people they work with, not themselves. For this reason, they speak in “we” language, not “I” language.
9. They Know Their Own Strengths and Weaknesses
Effective people have high awareness. They know their own shortcomings and cooperate with the right people to complete them. They know that the strengths of more than one person must come together to get the results they target, and that the right work can only be done with this understanding.
10. They Are Open to Different Opinions
Effective people don’t expect to always agree with the people they work with. They know that the right decisions will emerge by discussing different views. Therefore, if everyone has the same opinion in a meeting, they will definitely look for ways to express different opinions in the meeting. If necessary, they put forward a contrary opinion and ensure that all aspects of the issue are discussed at the meeting and a sound decision is made.