Running a business or managing a team is no walk in the park, and productivity is key to achieving your goals. Some of Malta’s most influential CEOs give their top tips on how to do this on MaltaCEOs 2021 – and it can all be broken down into six steps.
1. Be passionate
“If you don’t love your job, quit!” says Kevin Chircop, Executive Chairman at Enemed, advocating for being passionate about what you do. Taking pride in your work comes up frequently in local business leaders’ responses to this question, with Farsons Group CEO Norman Aquilina advising to “fully commit and take pride in all that you do” and Rose Anne Cuschieri, CEO at Malta Further and Higher Education Authority maintaining, “be yourself and enjoy what you do. Productivity then comes naturally.”
2. Plan
Having a concrete plan for the day and sticking to it is one of the most common pieces of advice among Malta’s CEOs, with GasanMamo’s Julian Mamo, RE/MAX Malta’s Jeffrey Buttigieg and AG Group’s Andrei Grech all championing planning and prioritising tasks on a daily basis. NM Group CEO Beppe Muscat goes a step further: “along with working hard, one must work smart. A little planning and strategic thought can significantly improve levels of productivity.”
3. Delegate
No man (or woman) is an island, and when a team works together efficiently, the possibilities are endless. Marsovin CEO Jeremy Cassar’s top tip for productivity is to delegate and trust the people around you, while MJMDA’s CEO Matthew J Mercieca puts it simply and succinctly: “Divide, prioritise and conquer.”
4. Keep it simple
If you have a tendency to overcomplicate things, Malta’s CEOs say: don’t. “Complexity is the enemy of execution,” advises Adriana Camilleri Vassallo, who heads the team at Francis J Vassallo & Associates. Bank of Valletta CEO Rick Hunkin agrees, adding that keeping things simple is key, particularly when it comes to processes.
5. Focus
It can be easy to lose focus when your to-do list seems never-ending, but zeroing in on tasks and taking things one step at a time will carve the path to victory. TradeMalta CEO Anton Buttigieg and QP CEO Reuben Xuereb both place focusing and prioritising at the top of their list when it comes to productivity, and Dino Fino Home + Contracts’ CEO Dino Fino says: “Focus on the job at hand and not on what you need to do next.”
6. Balance
We’ve all heard the ‘all work and no play’ adage, and it continues to ring true here. While working hard is key, our top CEOs also prioritise rest, and the benefits it has when you are at work. People & Skin’s Joanna Delia’s advice is not to overwork, and “have all the free time you can,” while Family Business Office Regulator Joseph Gerada’s primary ingredient for productivity is “a relaxed mind” – we think they’re on to something!
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