Efficiency, the art of managing the present well

“The present well managed certainly ushers in a thriving future”

The ability to accomplish a task or purpose effectively with fewer resources, time, or effort is termed ‘efficiency’. As the Austrian-born American management consultant, educator, and author, Peter Ferdinand Drucker explains, “Efficiency is doing things right; effectiveness is doing the right things.”

Efficiency is also likened to an invisible vehicle, which transports individuals who submit to its principles and demands to their preferred destination in life regardless of their history.

The future only belongs to those who are efficiently taking care of the minutia of today to set up the stage for tomorrow. To be efficient does not mean doing all things perfect or sophisticated but rather handling simple things well, i.e. your time, relationships, transactions, business dealings, etc.

The hurdle of the modern person would not be the lack of resources, relationships, time, etc., but the management of these. Wasting of resources and time has pervaded all strata of society in this era, so much to the extent that is it often tolerated or unnoticed.

Consequently, our homes, businesses (private and public), religious organizations, and social groups are marred with gross mismanagement; but it will be impossible to build a sustainable and successful future for the next generation with all these wastefulness.

I have always argued that, life is a cycle of moments or seasons, and how you manage the present would determine your success in the next. Hence, anytime we leave our taps on while brushing our teeth, washing dishes, bathing, or watering the garden; we are not being responsible stewards of the resources which we are to bequeath to the next generation.

When we leave on the computer, television, lights, and any electrical or electronic gadget unused; we are short-changing our future. Each time we go to the groceries and pick up things simply because it is discounted or on sale but it is not really needed; we are abusing present resources and compromising the future.

Similarly, when we go to the shopping Mall or pick a stroll in town and we pick up items because they looked nice or attractive and do not use them; we are wasting resources.

Studies show that our public sector organizations and government offices account for a greater percentage of the waste and mismanagement of our time. Most people in this age tend to focus on getting to their destination in life in a haste thereby overlooking the importance of the process of managing what is currently entrusted to their care. It is irrelevant to have big audacious goals, dreams, aspirations, or plans for the future but fail to do effectively what is presently required of you.

A Classical Greek philosopher, mathematician, and student of Socrates, Plato argued that “All things will be produced in superior quantity and quality, and with greater ease, when each man works at a single occupation, in accordance with his natural gifts, and at the right moment, without meddling with anything else.”

The world is in a financial abyss currently owing to the fact that we’ve failed to take austerity measures from our homes to our workplaces to our governments and religious organizations. Our appetite for materialism and temporal gratification has skyrocketed exponentially at the expense of our investment into the future.

People want to get things they crave for, instantaneously regardless of their financial status, income, or the economic repercussions though they have not even worked for them. Most of us working as corporate executives, religious and political leaders, parents, community leaders, employers, and employees have implicitly dropped the ball in failing to manage our duties effectively.

Let me repeat, efficiency is not only in taking care of big things but more importantly paying attention to the little things that could ruin our destiny if left unchecked. Remember the counsel of Benjamin Franklin “..A small leak can sink a great ship.”

It is sad to see individuals destined for greatness slip into the pit of misery simply because they ignored the present, thinking their future is settled. Our gifts, natural endowments, callings, specialized knowledge, or the great positions we have attained in life do not guarantee or even insulate us from the changing tides of life unless they are firmly anchored to timeless principles through efficiency.

You may currently be located at the bottom of the ladder of life thinking you can never climb to the top but I assure you today that, if you will meticulously manage every moment of your life effectively- one step at a time, the success of your future would be inevitably attained.

Likewise, you could presently be enjoying an excellent life in your profession, business, relationships, and family, but if the principle of efficiency is ignored thinking all is well or you've arrived, all that you've diligently attained could come tumbling down in a New York minute. Writer and novelist, Michael Korda rightly admonished that “by concentrating our efforts on a few major goals, our efficiency soars, our projects are completed, we are going somewhere.”

When you choose to focus on your current goals or assignments effectively, it strengthens your efficiency for greater works. Let's learn to "anticipate the difficult by managing the easy,” Lao Tzu.

The success story of the Asian economic powerhouse, South Korea, testifies to the efficacy of austerity and managing moments efficiently.

Sixty years ago, after the Korean War, South Korea became an economic wasteland and the poorest country in the world for over a decade with its gross domestic product per capita lower than most Latin American and some sub-Saharan African countries.

According to the International Monetary Fund (IMF) data collected for 2014, South Korea has emerged as the world’s 13th most powerful economy by nominal GDP and 12th by purchasing power parity (PPP), identifying it as one of the G-20 major economies.

It is a high-income developed country, with a developed market, one of the world's fastest growing economies from the early 1960s to the late 1990s, and still one of the fastest growing developed countries in the 2000s, along with Hong Kong, Singapore, and Taiwan.

Most People had already written off South Korea after the war and were expecting North Korea to take it over eventually. Some South Koreans reminiscing declared “We were the poorest, most impossible country on the planet.”

How can a country come back from being the world poorest nation, having been relegated by cynics, to become one of the economic giants of the 21st century?

It is through diligently managing their moments by effectively focusing on their resources, labor-intensive manufactured exports, and individual ingenuity of the average Korean that South Korea has today evolved as a force to reckon with in technology, electronics, automobile manufacturing, etc.

South Korea is a country but the prevailing factors, their perseverance and discipline which were employed to revive their economy, as well as the spirit of the average Korean, to strive for greatness, could also be used in our lives and businesses to secure success for the future. It is expedient in this difficult global economic season to re-evaluate our activities and choices to see what practical steps to take to efficiently manage the present.

The following are few steps to aid you to become a good steward of the present:

• EXCELLENCE – Efficiency is always synonymous with excellence, in that it is virtually improbable to attain excellence without being efficient. On the flip side, it is also impossible to be efficient without excellence. Excellence, therefore, is the art of being efficient at all times.

American educator and historian, Charles Kendall Adams argued that “No one ever attains very eminent success by simply doing what is required of him; it is the amount of excellence of what is over and above the required that determines greatness.” Thus, excellence is the ability to influence your actions with your potential - what you are capable of doing not what someone else can do or think you should do.

• COMMUNICATION- According to the Merriam-Webster English dictionary , Communication is the act or process of using words, sounds, signs, or behaviors to express or exchange information or to express your ideas, thoughts, feelings, etc., to someone else. The management of the present effectively calls for skillfully using words, sounds, signs, or behaviors to express or exchange information or to express your ideas, thoughts, feelings, etc., to people.

As a result, Emotional intelligence (EQ) which is the ability to identify, use, understand, and manage emotions in positive ways to relieve stress, communicate effectively, empathize with others, overcome challenges, and defuse conflict has certainly emerged as key element of the communication mix in the bid to be efficient in all fields of endeavor. "Communication - the human connection - is the key to personal and career success," Paul J. Meyer. Thus, to be efficient is to communicate well in all your dealings.

• PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT - All-rounded growth is highly essential if we are to succeed in being efficient in life. But the difficulty is that “there is a theory of human behavior that says people subconsciously retard their own intellectual growth. They come to rely on clichés and habits.

Once they reach the age of their own personal comfort with the world, they stop learning and their mind runs on idle for the rest of their lives. They may progress organizationally, they may be ambitious and eager, and they may even work night and day. But they learn no more,” Philip B. Crosby. Personal development requires consciously and invariably subjecting yourself to a growth environment. When was the last time you read a complete book?

Have you tried educating yourself in a department in life apart from what you studied in school or currently practicing as your profession? Are you open-minded to others’ perspective of things or you are only consumed by your ideologies? Learn to consciously step out of your sphere of familiarity to experience new paradigms and watch a new breeze of confidence ensue.

• VERSATILITY - In their effort to be efficient in their operations and business practices, corporate institutions in this 21st century are empowering their employees to multitask i.e. the performance by an individual of handling more than one task, or activity, at the same time.

Efficiency requires you to be able to do different things simultaneously with excellence. "Live every day of your life in full. Experience the highs and the lows, the positives, and the negatives, and all the moods present between the various extremes. Don't focus on simply being happy. Focus on living a well-rounded, seasoned life. Focus on achieving completeness," Melchor Lim.

• PURPOSE DRIVEN - A life well lived is definitely lived on purpose. It has been said that “when the purpose of a thing is not known, abuse is inevitable." Most people fail to actualize their dreams and aspirations in life because they fail to understand that a dream without action is just a fantasy - pleasant thoughts about your life or future that you have while awake.

Likewise, aspirations without specific and practical goals are but just mere wishes. Martin Luther King Jr. said "If you can't fly then run, if you can't run then walk, if you can't walk then crawl, but whatever you do you have to keep moving forward.” Managing the present well demands living life on purpose and by purpose. Be purpose driven!

• CONSISTENCY- Efficiency, like every lasting human habit, requires constant practice and persistence. Start by managing little things, soon you would discover you are efficiently handling great tasks well. "Start by doing what's necessary; then do what's possible, and suddenly you are doing the impossible," says Saint Francis of Assisi. Resolve to be persistently consistent in your pursuit of efficiency in all facets of your life and you would undoubtedly find yourself at the pinnacle of greatness.

The future only belongs to those who have learned to manage the present well. Success in life is not determined solely by being well-connected, family prestige and wealth, good education, or street smartness but with deliberate and determined effort, you can access the land of greatness.

Be prudent in the use of your time, relationships, talents, gifts, and your resources and you would inevitably position your lineage for greatness in the approaching seasons of life. “Let him who would enjoy a good future waste none of his present,” Roger Babson. Discover Your Greatness!