Manager Tools Podcast

Episode: Time (Priority) Management - Part 1 (Hall Of Fame Guidance)
Date: May 14, 2006
Hosts: Michael Ozan and Mark Horstman

Episode Overview

This episode of Manager Tools dives into practical, actionable methods for time—more accurately, priority—management. Hosts Michael Ozan and Mark Horstman focus on aligning how managers spend their time with their stated priorities, highlighting the common disconnect in even the highest corporate levels. Through clear steps and illustrative anecdotes, they lay out a precise framework to help managers evaluate and redirect their focus towards what matters most.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. The Disconnect Between Intentions and Actual Time Use

• Executives’ Schedules Often Don’t Match Their Claimed Priorities
  • Mark describes his consulting visits, where he compares executives' calendars to their stated priorities.
  • “It’s really hard to argue that you should be able to keep your job if your schedule doesn’t reflect your priorities and your priorities go undone.” — Mark (02:33)
• Fire Drills Are Not a Substitute for Ongoing Focus
  • Businesses often rely on “fire drills”—sudden, intense periods of focus—to make up for day-to-day inefficiencies.
  • This strategy leaves no room for error and is unsustainable when multiple challenges arise at once.
  • "We make up for our overall inefficiencies by...sheer brute forcing things at times. And it works after a fashion, but that is not the most efficient or effective way to be, and it leaves you almost no room for error." — Mark (04:04)

2. Manager Tools’ Four and a Half Step Process

Mark proposes a “four and a half step” method for aligning time use with real priorities:

Step 1: Roughly Assess Your Time

• No tools, just pen and paper.
  • Recall what tasks you worked on over the last two to three weeks, without checking your calendar, planners, or digital devices.
  • Purpose is not accuracy, but to shift mindset towards work awareness.
  • “What do I think I spend my time doing?... What we want you to do is think about your work days.” — Mark (06:27)
  • Emotional events are most memorable, but may not be most important (08:49).
  • Tangible Output: A raw, unedited list of activities.

Step 2: Capture Your Key Priorities

• Gather source documentation:
  • Job description(s), boss’s job description, direct reports’ job descriptions, recent performance reviews, key metric reports, and the last 10–15 PowerPoint presentations by you or your team.
  • “A lot of times people go back to their reviews and job descriptions, and it’s no relation to what they’re doing now.” — Mark (13:57)
  • If your job description is outdated, validate changes with your boss and document the divergence.
• Synthesize and Categorize:
  • Aggregate responsibilities into major categories — the building blocks of true priorities.
  • “Once you have an exhaustive list, start aggregated into categories that might look like major areas or priorities.” — Mark (18:00)
  • Key Rule: No more than 10 priorities at first; ultimately, boil down to your five key priorities.
• Quoting Drucker:
  • “The first thing you need to do is not ask what you want to do, because that’s what school children do. You should ask, what does this role require of me?” — Paraphrased summary of Drucker (21:34)

3. The Challenge of Limiting Key Priorities

• Managers Resist Narrowing Priorities
  • Many claim far too many “priorities,” confusing tasks with true importance.
  • Mark describes the “spinning plates” phenomenon, where managers try to juggle dozens of tasks but lose focus on what’s genuinely critical.
  • “If you’re spending 8% of time on number one and you don’t meet your numbers for number one, if you work for me, you don’t have much defensibility.” — Mark (22:59)
• Best Executives Focus on One or Two Things
  • The most effective leaders know what their one or two true priorities are, and delegate the rest.
  • “The ones who are good... they got one, maybe two. Right people around them they’ve delegated to.” — Mark (25:17)

4. Practical Guidance for Managers

• Don’t Skip the Early Steps
  • Though you might be tempted to move straight to goal-setting, both hosts stress the importance of the initial self-assessment and documentation steps.
    • “Don’t skip it. Okay, I got it.” — Michael (12:01)
• Documenting Priorities
  • After all the winnowing, write your five key priorities on a clean sheet of paper (26:06).

Notable Quotes and Memorable Moments

• “You can’t make time, Mark.” — Michael (04:05)
• “We make up for our overall inefficiencies by cramming, by laser focusing, by brute forcing things at times.” — Mark (04:05)
• “The first thing we say, first thing we understand as an executive is the role. You don’t start by saying, what is it I want to do? In fact, Drucker talks about this very openly. He says, it’s not what I want to do, it’s what the role requires of me.” — Mark (02:58)
• “The ones who are good, the executives who are really good, that I admire, they got one, maybe two right people around them they’ve delegated to. And those people are good. In fact, in some cases way better than the executive.” — Mark (25:17)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• [00:50] Introduction to priority management and the time dilemma
• [01:27] Discussing the mismatch between stated priorities and actual schedules
• [04:03] Why “cramming” and fire drills are not a real solution
• [05:22] Introduction of the “four and a half step” process
• [06:27] Deep dive into Step 1: rough time assessment by memory
• [12:26] Step 2: collecting documentation and defining key priorities
• [21:34] Drucker’s advice on executive priorities
• [25:02] Spinning plates – why many managers resist narrowing focus
• [26:06] Action step: write down your five key priorities

Tone and Language

The hosts maintain a candid, sometimes playful but highly practical tone. They stress action over theory, favoring direct advice and real-world anecdotes, with a few references to management classics (Drucker) and their own consulting experience. Their critique is firm but encouraging, pushing listeners to adopt a disciplined mindset without getting lost in perfectionism or over-analysis.

In summary:
This episode reframes time management as priority management, urging managers to honestly assess their use of time and clearly define what matters most—then align their daily activity accordingly. The Manager Tools approach is practical, minimal in jargon, and focused on tangible improvement.