The 5 Ways an Emerging Leader Can Leverage Siri

by Michael Holland    

As I drove from one executive coaching session to another, I had a 30-minute window of windshield time with an email and 4 text messages I wanted to take care of… but didn’t.    Later, while I pondered the missed opportunity, I thought about my high school aged son who had recently utilized Siri on his iPhone to write a paper for school.   What a way to leverage technology!  Siri and I have become good partners since that drive, as I’ve used her service more and more to double dip on my time in the car. I’ve grown quite used to her affirming voice asking, “Message sent, ok, what’s next?”

Here are 5 ways a manager can leverage Siri and Evernote during the commute home.

• Employee Notes – Dictate your daily employee pluses, minuses, and notes to quickly capture and catalog the source for your ongoing feedback to employees.
• 3 Things I Got Done Today – Focus on the positive energy in your overburdened life and list off 3 accomplishments from the day.  We often forget about the tasks and conversations that went well since they are no longer on our radar screen.  Acknowledge your successes.
• Plan a Project – Rattle off the big buckets of work for a new project. This will help you capture your fresh thoughts and free your brain to begin thinking more deeply.
• When I See My Boss – Make a list of the update items you want to make sure to have in front of you when you next see your boss.   Love him or hate him, you need to be prepared to manage him.
• What I Love About My Job – Capture 2 things from your day that tell the story of why you love your job.  Think hard – ok, maybe really hard – there has to be 2 things you love about your job/company.

Imagine the catalog of personal insight you’ll have after a few weeks of this new habit! And don’t forget about the major positive side benefit of how much more engaged you will be when you arrive at home after having processed your day.

Coaching Thoughts – For You and Your Peers

• Are there other gaps in your day in which you could leverage Siri for the ideas in the bulleted list in this Leadership Learning Moment?
• What might some other benefits of using these little windows of time wisely be?
• Pick one of these suggestions to try on your drive home today. Afterwards, take a moment to reflect on how it helped you and what you want to try tomorrow.