Focus on what’s important to achieving results by using the Power of 15. See how you get unstuck and make progress on key projects in short 15-minute segments. Bring your best to any business situation, Hilary Potts For more Leadership Strategies: www.hilarypott.com Author of Change Up: How Top Executives Lead Change and Deliver Results and The Executive Transition Playbook can be found on amazon. https://www.amazon.com/Hilary-Potts/e/B015CY5ZKI/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/Hilary_Potts Facebook: https://facebook.com/hapgroup1 LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/hilarypotts

1. The Power of 15: Ways to Leverage Your Time
Leadership Strategies
with Hilary Potts
2018 © The HAP Group, All Rights Reserved

2. What is important is seldom
urgent and what is urgent is
seldom important.
—Dwight D. Eisenhower

3. How can you focus on the
important versus the urgent?

4. What Happens?

5. ‹#›
Challenge #1
Too Many Competing
Distractions
We get pulled in many
different directions with
competing priorities. The
tactical activities can take
over the more conceptual
and strategic thinking.

6. ‹#›
Challenge #2
Overwhelmed by Size
and Complexity
We can get overwhelmed with
our big audacious goal. We
can be stuck on where and
how to get started.
Usually, we need a moment to
think and create a way
forward.

7. ‹#›
Challenge #3
Activity at the 11th Hour
Often waiting until the last
minute, we rip it into high gear.
We do what we can under the
guise of a deadline. We work
frantically to pull something
together. But are we providing
our best ideas and efforts
under this tight timeline?

8. A recent Microsoft study found our
digital lifestyle has made it difficult for
us to stay focused. We look for instant
responses and answers to the point
that our attention span has diminished
to less than that of a goldfish.

10. NaturalAttentionSpan Studies have shown that when we put our mind to it, the
optimal attention span of healthy adults ranges anywhere
from 10 to 20 minutes.
We need strategies to use these short bursts of focus versus
waiting and praying that we miraculously will find blocks of
time in our day.
These short bursts can get you started. As the project or
activity gets underway, you will find a natural cadence
and rhythm.

11. Power of 15
There’s power in taking 15-minutes to
focus on just one piece of a project.
The Power of 15 is a way to turn
critically strategic activities that we
seem never to find the time to work
on and make slow but steady
progress in 15, maybe 20-minute
increments.
Let’s look at how it works...

13. IdentifyYourGoal First, identify your goal. What do you need to accomplish
that you keep putting off? What are you having difficulty
getting started?
If it’s a pretty big project, see if you can develop smaller
goals or milestones. Smaller goals give you something
concrete to focus your attention.
Name something that you need to take care of that you
are putting off.

16. TheSmallActions There is power in capturing the actions to complete the work
versus keeping it in your head.
You may find yourself pushing off activities to another day. Try
breaking these actions into smaller components that you can
work in 15-minutes.
Shed the actions you may like to do but are not important.

18. Sort&Sequence
To more efficiently make progress, prioritize your actions.
Take your prioritized list and sort and sequence the
actions into a cadence which allows you to leverage your
15-minutes to advance the effort.
If you find yourself pushing out important activities, check
to see if you can break these activities into smaller actions
into its parts that you can work in 15-minutes.

19. Quick Tips to
Implement the
Power of 15…

20. Block Time on the Calendar

21. Set Your Timer for 15-Minutes

22. Use Travel Time
Use travel and
commute time to think,
strategize, and work on
key actions.

23. Prepare to Take Notes

24. Focus on What Matters
The Power of 15 helps you focus on
what’s important but may not feel urgent.
It helps you advance strategic projects
when you feel like there isn’t time to think.
Give it a try. I would love to hear how
you’ve made it your own.

25. Looking for More Leadership Strategies
www.HilaryPotts.com/Resources.html
Download the
Leader Change
Toolkit Now…

26. Inside the Toolkit You’ll Find…
www.HilaryPotts.com/Resources.html
• Ways to Prepare to Lead a Strategic Change
• 5 Keys to Leading Change
• Change Leader Behaviors to Lead Your Next
Strategic Initiative

27. For more information contact:
Hilary Potts
The HAP Group
www.hilarypotts.com
info@hapgrp.com
2018 © The HAP Group, All Rights Reserved