What do chief executives do all day?
It really is what it seems: They spend about a third of their work time in meetings.
That is one of the central findings of a team of scholars from London School of Economics and Harvard Business School, who have burrowed into the day-to-day schedules of more than 500 CEOs from around the world with hopes of determining exactly how they organize their time—and how that affects the performance and management of their firms.
Their study—known as the Executive Time Use Project—incorporates time logs kept by CEOs' personal assistants, who tracked activities lasting more than 15 minutes during a single week selected by the researchers. The project, which is ongoing, so far has collected data from three different studies of CEOs from around the world.
In one sample of 65 CEOs, executives spent roughly 18 hours of a 55-hour workweek in meetings, more than three hours on calls and five hours in business meals, on average. Some of the remaining time was spent traveling, in personal activity, such as exercise or lunches with spouses, or in short activities, such as quick calls, that weren't recorded by CEOs' assistants. Working alone averaged just six hours weekly.
The researchers said they weren't surprised by the amount of time spent in meetings, since one of the roles of a CEO is to manage employees and meet with customers and consultants.
A busy meeting schedule—often conducted virtually in global companies—can indicate that executives are engaged with their companies and close to their managers and clients. Still, CEOs say they pine for more solo time to think and strategize.
Executives' assessment of how they spent their time differed from the actual records, as noted by their calendars and personal assistants, researchers found.
When top executives compare their top priorities to their time use, "they are usually surprised about the mismatch," says Robert Steven Kaplan, a professor of management practice at Harvard Business School.
Source: The Wall Street Journal, February 14, 2012
Career Women Must Decide: To Be or Not to Be
“You can have it all. You just can’t have it all at one time.” Oprah Winfrey
Choosing to take the appropriate measures to advance our careers is a significant decision.
Ultimately, the right decision for one woman may be entirely wrong for another. The choice belongs to each of us. As we noted, industry asks and expects a lot. But the demands will only change when women push through changes so no one will be expected to sacrifice family for success in business.
After spending time in the corporate world, many women choose to open their own businesses so they have more control over their time.
Opportunities routinely surface for those who are prepared. However, true opportunities need to be the right fit in terms of our personal visions and goals.
Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis pointed out, “If you bungle raising your children, nothing else that you do matters much.” She spoke the truth.
Successful corporate women manage the home front as well, if not better, than their careers. How they and their partners decide to tackle chores and responsibilities will be up to them.
What they all share, however, are carefully considered plans and back-up plans for every contingency, from childcare to meal preparation, house work, laundry, yard work, extracurricular activities, transportation, and entertaining. When a woman leaves work and arrives home, she tells us that her spouse and children are her first priority, not more work!
Our lives and work can both be enjoyable!
Barbara McEwen: Women, Know Thyself: The most important knowledge is self-knowledge
For a self-coaching guide to career women success:
Barbara A. McEwen: When Doing It All Won't Do: A Self-Coaching Guide for Career Women--Workbook Edition
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