results-oriented work and the pareto principle

to create work-life balance, we first have to be clear about what our priorities are. this doesn't come easy. it takes work, to be sure. but once we do, stephen covey says:

once you have a burning “yes” inside you about what’s truly important, it’s very easy to say “no” to the unimportant.

you have to know what to say 'yes' to. this goes for our organizations as well. ineffectiveness within our organizations is a major stumbling block to creating work-life balance. according to this article in forbes by stephen covey one poll found:

--only 37% said they have a clear understanding of what their organization is trying to achieve and why.
--only 1 in 5 were enthusiastic about their team’s and organization’s goals.
--only 1 in 5 workers said they have a clear “line of sight” between their tasks and their team’s and organization’s goals.
--only half were satisfied with the work they have accomplished at the end of the week.
--only 15% felt that their organization fully enables them to execute key goals.
--only 15% felt they worked in a high-trust environment.
--only 17% felt their organization fosters open communication that is respectful of differing opinions and that results in new and better ideas.
--only 10% felt that their organization holds people accountable for results.
--only 20% fully trusted the organization they work for.
--only 13% have high-trust, highly cooperative working relationships with other groups or departments.

covey goes on to discuss four disciplines to introduce to the workplace to change this, including making use of the pareto principle. you know the one. the principle that says 20% of the effort produces 80% of the results. tim ferriss talks about applying this principle to the way we work in his book, "the four-hour work week."

basically, the questions become "why am i doing what i'm doing right now? what result comes from all this effort?"

if only 37% of us know what our organization is trying to achieve and why, how do we know whether the work we're doing contributes to the organizations goals? or are we just working just for the sake of saying we're busy? we've got to know where we're going so we can find the best route to getting there.

after identifying what the goals and priorities are, you can begin to identify "busy-work" and let it go. but what if your boss likes all that busy-work? what if your boss can't prioritize and just wants everything done....now! he may be one of the 37% who doesn't know what the goals of the organization are! so stop asking him to prioritize for you! figure out what is most important to your boss based on what he does, where he spends his time, and based on feedback you receive from him and from other leaders in the organization. then, do those things. the busy work? let it go.

of course, that means you have to be able to identify what 'results-oriented work' is. there are plenty of people out there who can make a 50 hour week out of deciding what color folders should be used for this years files. these are people who will spend hours debating over something that costs $75.57 and then talk about how they're budget-conscious and contributing to the organization watching out for that $75. (note: these people generally also have absolutely no concept of 'opportunity cost'.)

too many organizations (and too many leaders) focus on the amount of work being done and the amount of hours being worked. it's not about either one of those things. it's about results. get clear about the results you're looking for and then do the things that support those results. that's what you're paying people for -- results.

best buy gets this. they've released people from the timeclock entirely. people in their "ROWE" ("results-only work environment") program do not have set hours, they don't have to work from the office, and their productivity is improving!

one friend of mine decided to ask for a four day work week, and she got it. remarkably, she finds that she gets more work done in those four days. why? it's basically like going on vacation. you know, you're about to be on some beach sipping fruity drinks with umbrellas in them for a week. but for a couple of weeks before that, you want to be sure everything is taken care of so you don't return to so much work and stress that the effect of that vacation is lost in five minutes. suddenly, the few days before you leave, you get extremely focused on what absolutely must be done. you focus on the important things. and it all gets done. what if you worked like that all the time?

what are the results are you supposed to be working towards? what do you do that supports that? what can you let go? figure that out, and start working towards the results and saying 'no' to all the other stuff.

all the best!
deb