Recently I was at a surprise retirement party for a colleague. After we all yelled "surprise!" and the battle to keep the tears from falling was well underway, I settled into a conversation with a new member of our organization about the nature of work.
Productivity
Our talk ran the gamut of shared experiences in cities we had both worked and/or lived in. But then quickly moved to how we get work done, and how the world of work has changed in such a way that being at work actually limits our ability to accomplish our work.
We both realized that the physical act of being in our workplace, more often than not, limits our ability to truly be productive. This got me thinking about all sorts of issues:
- Why I spend so much time at work if I know I could use some of that time differently and be much more productive?;
- Why corporate culture equates long hours sitting in a room in a building (my office), with being a great leader and dedicated employee?
- Why I haven't been more assertive in taking charge of this (despite encouraging my team to spend time away from the office getting their work done!)?
Coffee, Wifi, and Solitude
As our conversation went a bit deeper I tried to remember what I would consider my most productive day ever. It didn't take long. I was in Baltimore on business, but my schedule was a bit odd. I had a Tuesday evening meeting, and then no formal commitments until Thursday.
Oh the guilt! I certainly couldn't fly back to Florida for one day, so I realized I needed to get myself organized to try to make the most out of an "open" day in between my scheduled meetings.
...and it was the most productive day of my life...
Enter The Daily Grind along Baltimore's waterfront. A terrific coffee shop that has good wifi and plenty of seating. I know what you're thinking..."Jay, have you ever heard of Starbucks?"
The real issue here is that during my six hours of uninterrupted, focused time I accomplished more than I have on any other day in my work history.
The real issue here is that I didn't seize the moment and build a completely different approach to my work, despite knowing this made sense for me.
The real issue here is that I quickly fell back into the trap that long hours in a room filled with interruptions equals good leadership.
How About You
Do you know something makes perfect sense but the pressure around you in the workplace is holding you back from taking action? Why do we continue to do that to ourselves and our teams? Maybe we're the generation of leaders that will finally break the pre-technology notion that sitting in meeting rooms all day is the best way to get things done?
I'd love to hear from you.
No Excuses.
pic
I grew up in a world of drive through "restaurants", microwave dinners and Convenience Stores with hot dogs on a rotisserie available 24/7. I can barely remember a world without the Internet, haven't used a fax machine in years, and would prefer to receive a [Direct] Message than email anytime. Simply put, I like my stuff now. Not in a minute, not in a little while... I want what I want NOW.
Work is Not a Microwave
There are no quick wins, really. Yes, we love to brainstorm and convince ourselves we've come up with an amazing idea that will change the organization, country, world...whatever. Coming up with an idea is one thing; however, executing on that idea that actually results in moving the needle is very different. Candidly, without that great idea no progress can occur. But we need to be realistic...dare I say strategic in our thinking and execution if we are to achieve progress.
In his book Onward, Howard Schultz describes how he tried to get a quick win as he transitioned back into the ceo role at Starbucks Coffee Company. He tried, failed and then slowed down to take a more strategic view of turning his company around. He embraced the notion of being strategic, while still having a sense of urgency about the work being done. Being bold, and expecting everything to be perfect right away are two very different things.
HR Should Be Strategic
Time for a moment of self-disclosure. I'm tired of people saying how lame it is for HR to be talking about being strategic. We're supposed to be. We're supposed to be putting plans in place for the short and long term. We're supposed to be thinking well beyond the current benefits/recruitment/training/political-hot-potato-of-the-day crisis and delivering value to our organizations. So if you're taking the easy way out and jumping on the HR bashing train against being strategic, it's time to switch professions.
How About You
Be patient with your ideas. Think through them, spend time testing them, and then make a decision and act on them. Being patient and then being decisive is a potent combination. Being trapped in a world of analysis paralysis and excuses is also a potent combination. Which path do you take? I'm glad I switched.
I'd love to hear from you.
No Excuses.
pic courtesy of kaboodle
