Overcoming Time and Bandwidth Constraints
A simple and innovative tool to boost leadership impact
Leaders of growth-oriented businesses today deal implicitly with two major constraints to their leadership impact. The first constraint is time, i.e., enough “hours in the day” to do what needs to be done. Closely related, the second constraint is management bandwidth to stay ahead of the curve and lead proactively, both tactically near-term and strategically longer-term.
These limiters to leadership impact tend to be accepted as unavoidable aspects of the job, and they don’t receive the remedial attention deserved. Traditional responses – like work harder, prioritize better, delegate more, etc. – come up short.
So, what can be done to boost leadership time and bandwidth?
The answer is straightforward but uncommon: it is “someone to talk to”, that is, a true thought partner with whom the leader can freely think aloud, troubleshoot, and ideate in a confidential, productive, and risk-free manner.
This does not mean, however, a traditional executive coach, advisor, or consultant. Instead, heads of businesses today should fully tap the impact potential of their leadership role with a much different tool: a part-time Player-Coach & Execution Partner who serves as a special thought-and-do resource.
For old-school basketball fans, a metaphor for the Player-Coach & Execution Partner is NBA legend, Bill Russel, the epitome of courtside coach and real-time results generator.
What does this look like in a growth-oriented business?
Armed with domain knowledge and business familiarity, the external Player-Coach meets regularly with the business leader – typically once per week for 30-45 efficient minutes. During these one-on-one sessions, the leader discusses informally 1) what has been accomplished recently in the business, 2) pressing activities on the radar screen, and 3) related issues and barriers. The Player-Coach serves as a strategic and operational sounding board, providing independent reaction coupled with concrete ideas and recommendations, while wielding the advantage of an independent and “forest” perspective.
Thereby, the business leader sorts through and consolidates his or her thinking. Highlights and priorities emerge, naturally or with facilitation. By verbally articulating the situation to a trustworthy thought-and-do partner, the leader gains clarity and confidence in future action – and is better prepared to execute definitively and boldly.
The P-C role can readily extend into special implementation – hence, the Execution Partner component of the Player-Coach name. For instance, the Player-Coach & Execution Partner can be deployed quickly and on-demand to enable and expedite mini projects, for example:
The cost of the Player-Coach & Execution Partner is a small monthly retainer, coupled ideally with a success fee to motivate and align both parties with mutual skin in the game.
The bottom-line reality today is that even successful leaders of growth-oriented businesses can benefit greatly by expanding their time and bandwidth. Indeed, the better the leader, the greater the benefit of scaling his or her impact. The right Player-Coach & Executive Partner makes good even greater.
© OIC Innovation LLC 2023
These limiters to leadership impact tend to be accepted as unavoidable aspects of the job, and they don’t receive the remedial attention deserved. Traditional responses – like work harder, prioritize better, delegate more, etc. – come up short.
So, what can be done to boost leadership time and bandwidth?
The answer is straightforward but uncommon: it is “someone to talk to”, that is, a true thought partner with whom the leader can freely think aloud, troubleshoot, and ideate in a confidential, productive, and risk-free manner.
This does not mean, however, a traditional executive coach, advisor, or consultant. Instead, heads of businesses today should fully tap the impact potential of their leadership role with a much different tool: a part-time Player-Coach & Execution Partner who serves as a special thought-and-do resource.
For old-school basketball fans, a metaphor for the Player-Coach & Execution Partner is NBA legend, Bill Russel, the epitome of courtside coach and real-time results generator.
What does this look like in a growth-oriented business?
Armed with domain knowledge and business familiarity, the external Player-Coach meets regularly with the business leader – typically once per week for 30-45 efficient minutes. During these one-on-one sessions, the leader discusses informally 1) what has been accomplished recently in the business, 2) pressing activities on the radar screen, and 3) related issues and barriers. The Player-Coach serves as a strategic and operational sounding board, providing independent reaction coupled with concrete ideas and recommendations, while wielding the advantage of an independent and “forest” perspective.
Thereby, the business leader sorts through and consolidates his or her thinking. Highlights and priorities emerge, naturally or with facilitation. By verbally articulating the situation to a trustworthy thought-and-do partner, the leader gains clarity and confidence in future action – and is better prepared to execute definitively and boldly.
The P-C role can readily extend into special implementation – hence, the Execution Partner component of the Player-Coach name. For instance, the Player-Coach & Execution Partner can be deployed quickly and on-demand to enable and expedite mini projects, for example:
- Spot internal or external research on specific issues
- Facilitated Agile sprints by the leadership team or other functions in the business
- Market feedback on potential new products and services, and early business development
- Quick-strike definition and planning of business growth and improvement opportunities
- Low-cost “innovation function” for the business
- …
The cost of the Player-Coach & Execution Partner is a small monthly retainer, coupled ideally with a success fee to motivate and align both parties with mutual skin in the game.
The bottom-line reality today is that even successful leaders of growth-oriented businesses can benefit greatly by expanding their time and bandwidth. Indeed, the better the leader, the greater the benefit of scaling his or her impact. The right Player-Coach & Executive Partner makes good even greater.
© OIC Innovation LLC 2023