Techniques for Getting Things Done by Others

H

Hussein

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One Meaning of Management is to get things done through others, so it is the bottleneck for success of any manager to get things done by others. Also getting things done yourself is much easier then by others. Consequently there must be APPLICABLE/CONCRETE techniques to achieve such target . For example : set Due Date, hold Accountability meeting daily/weekly, Follow up & Feedback, Create Task Force etc. Please share your techniques or solutions especially when there obstacle or resistance to get the project done.
 
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Hussein said:
One Meaning of Management is to get things done through others, so it is the bottleneck for success of any manager to get things done by others. Also getting things done yourself is much easier then by others. Consequently there must be APPLICABLE/CONCRETE techniques to achieve such target . For example : set Due Date, hold Accountability meeting daily/weekly, Follow up & Feedback, Create Task Force etc. Please share your techniques or solutions especially when there obstacle or resistance to get the project done.
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As I love reciting quotes from @DavidAllen, here's one:

You can't legislate a system, but you can hold people responsible for outcomes.

And down the road, one option is to coach them on a great way to achieve this more effortlessly and with style!
 
One big distinction I would make is that the most effective managers are effective leaders. For brevity, if one needs to lean on "managing" someone through negative reinforcement techniques like false deadlines to instill fear/urgency, report to the leader for flogging, hourly status reports, and creating lynch mobs (i.e. that is how your subordinates will/do see those techniques that you originally presented) then they are not an effective leader.

Great leaders inspire their employees by serving them.
Great leaders empower their people to complete their work autonomously with a large degree of freedom to decide on how best to do it all.
Great leaders help their people achieve their goals by reaching out to support their people by asking them "Is there anything I can do for you?".
Great leaders mentor, coach, and train their people through any issues they may come across and help them remove any blockers they may be encountering.
Great leaders advise their people to be able to self-manage and self-organize their work.
Great leaders listen to their people.

I would recommend reading "Servant Leadership" by Robert K. Greenleaf as his book goes into far more depth on the subject. One thing to acknowledge and accept is that you cannot force anyone to do anything. That route has been tried by so very many people all throughout history and it always fails. The most successful managers out there are servant leaders that focus on how to help their employees not on how to manage them.

I hope that helps! :)
 
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René Lie said:
As I love reciting quotes from @DavidAllen, here's one:

You can't legislate a system, but you can hold people responsible for outcomes.

And down the road, one option is to coach them on a great way to achieve this more effortlessly and with style!
Click to expand...

While it might sound negative, I suspect it's a bit like raising children. While a menacing whip in ones hand is certainly motivating to an extent, putting kids in a position to learn and helping them focus, based on wisdom and experience, is usually much more sustainable and fulfilling to everybody involved. Sometimes its a matter of finding the "currency" for the person involved. Sometimes it's money (or "things"), sometimes its recognition, some like a challenge, while still others love engaging their curiosity. Fortunately GTD supports all those opportunities.

There's also inertia to contend with.
 
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