Just like most people, I depend on my fail-safe routine to get me through my workday. I have set up systems to begin my day, respond to emails, return calls, design programs and present. It seems to flow and I feel comfortable knowing this fairly tight schedule is in place. The truth about routines is that they can save us from falling off-track but they also can prevent us from switching to a new track. Routines can keep us on a fixed path that may be adding to our success while at the same time not helping us grow our leadership.

[Tweet “Deeply held routines propel leaders forward while maintaining the status quo.”]

What does your leadership routine look like?

Stepping back to analyze whether our routines are empowering us to pursue our strongest leadership strategies is critical to assess. When we take a deeper look at how we are tackling our daily tasks and objectives, we are giving ourselves a gift- a chance to re-evaluate or reposition our direction. We are open to seeing and accepting an alternative way to pursue our leadership. We are committed to challenging the routine we have in place in order to nurture ourselves and bloom.

Are you ready to punch holes in your leadership routine?

 Describe your workday routine

Sit down and look at how you approach your daily responsibilities. Sometimes we don’t even realize we are in a routine and it is only by writing out our daily actions that we become aware. Make sure to include all the contacts we interact with on a consistent basis as well as the time of day we perform our tasks. Be honest. Include it all.

Identify what rituals really work

Not everything we tackle in our leadership routine needs to be swapped out. In fact, ask yourself what really is non-negotiable.

• Do you need to answer emails first thing in the morning?
• Is there a particular report that needs to be sent out by the end of the day?
• Does the phone call to a customer need to be made ASAP or can it wait and still delight the customer?
• Is there a best time of day to work on that presentation?

Create a list of unmet objectives

Be truthful with yourself and decide what tasks never seem to appear on your radar and what dreams need deadlines. This is an important step in punching the holes in your routine. What would you like to focus on in order to grow yourself and your leadership? Write it down and make it real so that you can begin to add it to your routine.

[Tweet “Leaders punch holes in their routine by adding deadlines to dreams.”]

Develop a realistic plan of attack

Take your unmet objectives and the items that are no longer needed in your routine and develop a new plan.

• Block out timeframes and list your tasks
• Place your new areas to focus during times of the day that may work better
• Challenge yourself to see your workday with different rhythms-maybe swap constantly reviewing emails for dreaming
• Make sure your non-negotiable pieces are still part of your plan
• Just devise a meaningful plan that stretches your routine

Re-evaluate your new routine

After living with the new routine for a while, scrutinize its success. Are you meeting your critical tasks? Are deadlines still being met? Are customers’ needs being attended to? Are you building in enough time to develop those unmet objectives and dreams? If not, it’s perfectly acceptable to re-jigger things up.

[Tweet “Allow your leadership to grow by changing your routine.”]

How have you punched holes in your leadership routine to flourish?

 If you or your team wants some help in punching holes in your routine please let me know.