A SIMPLE TIME MANAGEMENT SYSTEM

FOR CEOS
- FOCUSED SELECTIVELY,
ENGAGED EXHAUSTIVELY

NIGEL A.L. BROOKS

THE BUSINESS LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION

Article reprint
 A SIMPLE TIME MANAGEMENT FRAMEWORK FOR CEOS
- FOCUSED SELECTIVELY, ENGAGED EXHAUSTIVELY

Whether an entrepreneur, lifestyle business enterprise owner, or top

executive, a Chief Executive Officer's (CEO's) time is always in demand,
and limited by issues, events, and activities competing for attention. It is
important for CEOs to be organized - ensuring that they are focused
selectively on what's important, but engaged exhaustively across their
span of control to ensure adequate coverage.

Chief Executive Officers (CEOs) have the ultimate responsibility for the
governance of both the administrative and operational activities of an
enterprise, reporting to a board of directors or members, who are
ultimately accountable to the investors. A CEO must be able to prioritize
issues, events, and activities; develop plans and policies; and measure
performance, while ensuring that the key functions are adequately
addressed over time.

Much of a CEO's time is spent communicating plans, policies, and

performance to constituencies, while delegating deployment and execution
to the rest of the management team. However, it is important for a CEO to
be in touch, both across and within the enterprise.

Whereas the issues and spans of control facing entrepreneurs, lifestyle

business enterprise owners, and top executives in larger enterprises may
differ, the functional coverage is essentially the same. In larger enterprises,
the responsibility for the operational functions is often delegated to a
Chief Operating Officer (COO), who may be a CEO in training.

Engaging across functions is the most exhaustive method of ensuring

adequate coverage.

Smaller enterprises are usually organized solely by function, at least

initially. Medium to larger enterprises are often organized by units. Units
include product line, business line, or strategic business, in demographic
or geographic markets, subdivided in divisions, departments, plants and
branches. The functions can be addressed across or within the
organizational units, depending upon significance.

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The key questions for selective and exhaustive time management are:

Which issues, events, and activities should be prioritized as high, medium,

or low, and why?

Who needs attention now, and why?

How should plans and policies be deployed and executed?

Where should time be spent and when - daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly,
annually?

Administratively:

● Enterprise - investor and public relations, government affairs, brand

management, community relationships, real estate, philanthropy,
ombudsman, internal audit

● Legal - regulatory protection and compliance, litigation

● Finance - borrowing, financing, investing, credit extension, insurance

● Human Resources - employment, compensation, training,

development

● Information Technology - analytical and operational systems

Operationally:

● Research and Development - innovation, program and project

management, engineering: markets, products, infrastructure

● Operations - procurement, manufacturing (or equivalent in non-

manufacturing enterprises), distribution

● Business Development - marketing, sales, service

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What should time be spent on and when (daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly,
annually)?:

Planning and policy development:

● Enterprise - aspiration (values, mission, vision, value proposition),

industry and market position and posture

● Competitive position and posture

● Performance improvement - repositioning, restructuring,

reengineering

● Constituency (employees, customers, suppliers, investors, regulators,

competitors): objectives, goals, targets, and strategic initiatives;
collaborative and cooperative relationships

● Functional, operational, and financial

Capabilities (capacities and abilities) for deployment and execution:

● People - aptitude and proficiency

● Processes and functions - effectiveness and efficiency

● Products and/or services - benefits and features

Performance measurement - enterprise and constituencies (key indicators -

rates, quantities, volumes, aging, ratios):

● Financial - revenue, costs and expenses, profits, cash flows, returns

on investment

● Non-financial - market share and penetration, product usage,

satisfaction, quality, time-to-market, cycle time, productivity, asset
capacity and utilization, sustainability

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How much time should be allocated to each function?

The answer depends upon the opportunities and threats that are critical to
the enterprise at any point in time, and probability of return on investment,
so selective focus is essential. But over time, all functions must be
addressed so that coverage is exhaustive.

Time management is an enterpriship (entrepreneurship, leadership, and

management) competency.

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For more information...

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www.enterpriship.com

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About Nigel A.L Brooks...

Nigel A.L Brooks is a management consultant to entrepreneurs, business

enterprise owners, executives, and managers, and the enterprises they
serve. He specializes in developing the entrepreneurial, leadership, and
managerial competencies that build sustainable advantage from vision to
value. He is an author and a frequent speaker.

He obtained his professional experience as a partner at Andersen

Consulting (now Accenture, Ltd.), as a vice president at Booz Allen
Hamilton, Inc. (now Booz and Company), as a senior vice president at the
American Express Company, as president of Javazona Cafes, Inc., and as
president of The Business Leadership Development Corporation. He has
been a contributing editor for the Bank Administration Institute magazine,
and has served on boards of entrepreneurial networks. He was educated at
the University of Exeter, Devon, United Kingdom.

His clients are in the financial services, food services, high-tech,

manufacturing and distribution, pharmaceuticals, oil and gas, professional
services, retail and wholesale, transportation, and government industries.

He has experience in North and Latin America, Europe and Asia-Pacific.

www.nigelalbrooks.com

About The Business Leadership Development Corporation (BLD)...

The Business Leadership Development Corporation is a professional

services firm that works with entrepreneurs, lifestyle business enterprise
owners, executives, and managers, and the enterprises they serve.

BLD develops entrepreneurial, leadership, and managerial competencies

that achieve performance excellence by building sustainable advantage
from vision to value through:

 Strategic Management Consulting

 Executive Coaching and Mentoring
 Professional Training via The Center For Business Leadership
Development (CBLD)
 Motivational Speaking

www.bldsolutions.com

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