Overload

from Able Leader, June 2003

by Steve Kaye

Nationwide, the average employee is about to burst. This situation is being driven by two forces, which could also hurt your business.

On one hand, almost everyone is overworked. Why? Companies have heaped increasing amounts of work on their employees in attempts to survive the past years of poor sales. As a result, stress and frustration are higher than ever. People have traded personal life and health to meet escalating demands to accomplish more with less. For example, I find it common to hear people talk about working 14-hour days that leave them feeling exhausted and hating their jobs. Some are actively seeking other jobs, others plan to retire early. As a leader, you must know that this means high-performing, long-term employees are poised to vanish.

On the other hand, nothing works. Why? First, tired people produce less. They make mistakes, they miss opportunities, they lower their standards. That means your staff spends more time fixing problems. Second, companies have reduced costs by transferring work to their customers. As a result, many common tasks now take longer or have become impossible to perform. For example, calls to a company are now met with a labyrinth of push button menus, inept voice robots, or directions to visit a web site. An issue that once required minutes to resolve (with a person), can take hours. As a leader, you must recognize that this means your staff is working harder to produce less.

The overall impact of these two forces is that business functions are breaking down. People don't return phone calls. Deadlines slip while people wait for answers. And in general, business suffers.

While this may seem grim (and perhaps worse than what you are experiencing in your company) here are three things you can do to minimize the trauma. They are:

Know Your Purpose. You must know your vision, your goals, and your plans because these help you set priorities. Each day, identify the one thing that you must accomplish, and make that your top priority. This will make it easier to accomplish essential tasks while avoiding distractions. Then, set aside a fraction of your day (perhaps an hour) to invest in your future. Use this time to work on those things that are important and will become urgent if neglected. If you have yet to write out your priorities, then schedule time to figure this out. It could be the most important hour that you spend in your life.

Say No. Instead of seeking new opportunities, be fiercely protective of your time. Make sure that each new commitment adds value for you. Similarly, assign work that only adds value to your business. Do what is necessary, and then stop. Decline to attend meetings that have no agenda (I guarantee such a meeting will produce nothing.) Now, rather than asking yourself "What can I do?" ask "What can I not do?" Deliberately avoid low value tasks, new projects, and distractions. Then tell people about your decisions. Huge amounts of effort are wasted by people trying to complete tasks that someone else decided to ignore. Realize that the key here is to work hard on what matters most.

Schedule Life. You may feel trapped on an accelerating treadmill. And you may have to ride that treadmill to survive. But you can step off once in a while. That is, leave work at 5:00 p.m. on Friday afternoon. Take Saturday or Sunday off. Find a quiet spot for lunch tomorrow and spend the hour relaxing. Close the door to your office (or hide somewhere) and give yourself a two minute break when you close your eyes, rub your neck, or meditate. Set a date with family members for a meal or an activity (hint: put this date on your calendar as if it were an important business appointment, because it is). Similarly, give your employees a break. For example, let them go home at 4:00 p.m. on Friday, especially if they put in a large amount of overtime during the week.

I realize these suggestions may seem familiar. In fact, I would be surprised if any of this appeared as new information. My hope is that some of it serves as a reminder of good habits that slipped away. As a leader, you are important to your business and to everyone around you. You need to take care of yourself so you can be a model of excellence for others to follow.

Key Point: Trying to do too much makes you less effective.

Much success,

Steve Kaye
714-528-1300