Struggling with workload - what's the answer?

Senior people in organisations have a lot to do. In fact, my experience of working with senior managers and executives across a range of industries is that they have more to do than the time available to do it in and it’s never-ending and relentless!

I know from clients, when they experience overwhelm i.e. ‘too much to do’, their automatic response is to work in a way to get through it all, head down. Problem is that when they follow this approach they never actually ‘get through it all’ and they will inevitably rush and take short cuts. This leads to incomplete work, mistakes and in some cases, disaster.

So now they have more to do – redoing work, putting out fires caused by the incomplete work and dealing with the fallout. I think that most senior managers would recognise what I am talking about.

You might ask “What’s the answer?”

As much as I would like to say that there is an answer, in my experience there is no prescriptive answer that will address all scenarios. However, I do have some places that you can think from in working out your own solutions. Here are a few –
If you have more to do than you have available resources (time, staff, budget etc..) then this must lead you to the conclusion that you have to choose what you are going to do and what you are not going to do. Trying to get everything done when you know that you don’t have the resources does 2 things – you live in hope (rather than reality) and work in ways that are less productive (rush, take short cuts, delegate badly, avoid etc..).Make a conscious choice about what you are going to do and what you are not going to do or not going to do now.
Work in a way to complete a task. It takes a certain amount of time to complete a task properly. Take that time, plan for it to take that time. Work in a way that it will not come back to you or have unintended fallouts.
Don’t think from ‘getting through my task list”, think from what outcome am I out to produce here, what’s the intention of doing this, what are the results that I am out to achieve. The frame of mind (or context) that you are in while you work makes a bigger difference to your effectiveness than what you actually do. For example, I know if I am avoiding something, or don’t feel I have what I need to complete a task, I am going to work far less effectively and it is going to take longer than it could.
Schedule time for planning what you are doing and how you are going to do it. The time spent planning will pay for itself many times over in the time you save and the quality of the work that you do.
And remember, if you are a manager and have staff reporting to you, then the way you work will be the way they work. They will mirror your strengths and your weaknesses compounding any behaviours that are less productive making it even more difficult to achieve the outcomes that you want.

Rosia Bay

Comments

The Importance of a People Strategy

As a business owner, you may have a great product or service, a solid business plan, and an excellent marketing strategy. However, without a people strategy, your business may struggle to succeed in the long run. A people strategy is a plan for how your business will attract, develop, retain, and motivate the people it needs to achieve its goals. It is about putting people at the center of your business and making sure that they are engaged, productive, and aligned with your company's vision and values. Here are some reasons why having a people strategy is crucial for your business: Attracting top talent Your people strategy should include a plan for attracting top talent to your business. This involves creating a strong employer brand, offering competitive compensation and benefits, and providing opportunities for career development and growth. By attracting the best people to your business, you can gain a competitive advantage and ensure that you have the skills and expertise nee

8 Benefits of Having a Staff Engagement Survey

When was the last time you ran an employee survey? or, have you even ever ran an employee survey ? We keep hearing and seeing evidence of a shortage of labour for recruitment, and that then puts pressure on retention. Do you know what your company retention rate is ? Do you have a retention target? if not why not? its a great measurement to understand how your employees feel about the company and that in turn will tell you how attractive your company is to potential employees. Now, don't get me wrong, a level of staff churn is healthy, as long as its the right churn and you're not losing your best people. Your company will fail to thrive unless you have tenacious, passionate, and engaged team members. Engaged employees produce higher-quality output, are more loyal and productive, and are more likely to stay with the organisation for longer. And yet, an overwhelming number of people still feel disengaged at work. According to the worlds largest study of employee happiness

Employee Leadership Development from the Ground Up

I n the UK, the current retirement age is 67, however this is due to change to 68 and the timetable for this is currently under review. Life expectancy at birth in the UK in 2018 to 2020 was 79.0 years fro males and 82.9 for females according to the ONS and this is also set to increase. If people are living longer, then as a natural consequence, they’ll need to work longer, which requires continual career growth. The old rules of retirement were written toward an economy where most of the work being done was manual labour, and reaching the age of 65 was viewed as being liberated from the intensive daily grind. However, as disruptive technologies emerge and change the business environment, working professionals are being tasked with having to upskill continually, which presents new opportunities to grow and develop. As more businesses increasingly identify the need for employees with leadership skills, they’ll soon discover, growing current employees is a lot more cost effective and imp

Rosia Bay Ltd

Search This Blog