It was a critical time during World War II. General Douglas MacArthur and his troops were camped at the side of a big river, and they had to cross it. MacArthur called in his engineer and said, “Soldier, how long will it take you to throw a bridge across this river?” The engineer replied, “Three days.” MacArthur said, “Good, have your draftsman draw up plans immediately.” Three days later, MacArthur called the engineer back into his office to ask how the bridge was coming along. “Sir,” replied the engineer, “the bridge is finished, and you can take your troops across now provided you don’t have to wait for the plans. They’re not done yet.”

The moral of this story is to keep your focus on the project and don’t get distracted with paperwork and other unimportant activities. The engineer demonstrated great leadership skills because he focused on the project of building the bridge and did not get bogged down in paperwork. High achievers and great leaders do just that. They hire others to do the paperwork and they stay focused on the business of running the company and on the important things like customer satisfaction, sales, and the general growth of the business.

The biggest time saver in dealing with paperwork is to handle a piece of paper only once. Complete it, delegate it, or throw it away. Leaders don’t get bogged down in paperwork. Like the engineer, leaders focus their energy and talent on building.

Frank Massine
Vice President, Dodge Development, Inc.