| Copyright (c) 2009 Bryan Beckstead | | | | taking it upon himself to rethink your decision and |
| Productivity is all about getting the maximum amount | | | | reverse it and go off on his own, makes your entire |
| of production from the minimum amount of activity. | | | | management decision function redundant. How does it |
| That's why two people doing the same job destroys | | | | feel to be made redundant? |
| any pretense of getting value from either person's | | | | Every time this happens in your company, your |
| involvement. Let's look at the classic example. | | | | business, your day to day living, you are forced to |
| You have been planning your day's activities, in | | | | spend at least twice as much time doing simple tasks |
| advance, as you should. You have decided that you | | | | because you are letting people make you redundant |
| want a specific person in your organization to perform | | | | and unnecessary. How often does this happen to |
| a specific job and you have also time activated that | | | | you? You invest your time only to find out that when |
| activity to be done today between 10:00 AM and | | | | you hand off the task or project to some one else, it |
| Noon. All is the way it should be. | | | | takes on a life of its own. This situation plays out a |
| You get to work and you relay your instructions to | | | | number of different ways but the end result is, |
| your employee and head off to do what you have | | | | activities take substantially longer to get done because |
| planned for the day. After lunch you decide to check in | | | | the initial thought process was ignored. |
| on your employee and see how he did on that task | | | | The solution to this problem is simple; decide who is in |
| you had asked him to do. A quick glance and you | | | | charge and let that person make the decisions. I said it |
| discover a disaster. Not only was the task that you | | | | was a simple problem, not necessary an easy solution. |
| had asked to be done not done as you asked, but | | | | One person per task, one person making the decisions, |
| your employee had taken it upon himself to do an | | | | everybody does their job, things have a chance of |
| entirely unrelated task that had not been necessary, in | | | | getting done on time and in a reasonable time frame. It |
| place of what you had asked and expected to be | | | | sounds so simple but the reality is, very few |
| done. What had gone wrong? | | | | companies, businesses or organizations can |
| First, someone's time was now totally wasted. Either | | | | accomplish it. |
| your time was now wasted, the time you spent on | | | | In seminars when I caution people about running |
| planning, detailing, and organizing the task. Or your | | | | companies with the "I thought" mentality, they get |
| employee had just wasted two hours doing a task | | | | offended and defensive. They counter with "people |
| you had not wanted done. This is the classic | | | | have a right to express themselves and they have a |
| productivity waste when two people decide to do the | | | | right to have their voice heard". I agree with all of that, |
| same job and in the end, the job is not done and | | | | except the part when all of this freedom of speech |
| everyone has to start from scratch. | | | | and sharing is suppose to take place. If you want to |
| In this case, when you approach the employee and | | | | get a reasonable return on your time, get production up |
| ask them why the initial job was not done, he or she | | | | where it should be, you have to start to get your |
| will invariably start off with the rationale of "I thought ..." | | | | people and yourself on the same page when it comes |
| detailing their reason why not doing what you wanted | | | | to setting the course and getting things accomplished. |
| and replacing it with a job of their choosing makes | | | | Someone has to make the decisions and then |
| more sense. I wish I had a dollar for every time I have | | | | someone has to carry out those decisions, period. It's |
| heard that rationale. | | | | not a debating team you are running; it's a business. |
| "I thought" has no place in this situation. You, the person | | | | Bryan Beckstead is the creator of the Power |
| in charge have already done the thinking in this | | | | Empowerment Group and has been involved in the |
| situation. The time has been spent on the thinking part | | | | Time Management and Productivity industries for |
| of this process; two people do not have to | | | | almost 35 years. |
| independently think through this task. By your employee | | | | |