Tuesday 4 June 2013

Infinite To-Do Lists, Overwork and Achievement: Speaking of Motivation

Though a lot of so-called leaders and many companies don't seem to realize it, there is a huge difference between work and achievement. And whenever you focus on one you can end up reducing the other. Focusing work can severely reduce the amount you achieve. Focusing an achievement can greatly reduce the amount you have to work.

"For me, it wasn't a matter of not living the life I thought I should live," says Eleanor Adams, president of an international consulting firm in the Minneapolis, MN. "I had no life. My days were filled with an infinite to-do list and a daytimer the size of the Manhattan phone directory. I was on the verge of collapsing from total exhaustion. Then I finally realized that the purpose of my job is not perpetual motion without ever having a moment to think. The purpose of my job is to achieve results."

The last time we talked, she said, "The better I get at what I do, the less I work."
Peter Drucker wrote that while being efficient means doing things right, being effective means doing the right things. But how many of us feel like the industrial designer who once told me, "We're far too busy around here to ever get anything done."

Hard work is productive. Overwork usually isn't. That's why we call it "overwork."
Organizational development expert, Thomas Quick, tells a story about a young man who was promoted to head the shipping department and had to work with an older and more experienced crew. At first it was very tough for him as you might imagine. But he learned to make accommodations. After a while, he even cut a deal with them: if he didn't insist that they return to work immediately when their break ended, they would work harder.

The crew's productivity increased by 20 percent. Then the new supervisor's boss happened to catch them sitting around a few minutes after the official end of their break. Summoning the young man into his office, he angrily insisted that rules were rules and enforcing those rules was what supervision was all about. He didn't want to hear any reasons for granting exceptions.
So the rules were enforced. And production dropped back to where it had been. The men lost, the supervisor lost and the corporation lost.
Tactic: Focus on results not activity. Whenever possible, get your boss to do the same.
Barry Maher is an internationally known speaker and expert on leadership, communication, management and sales. You can sign up for more articles and contact him through his website at http://www.barrymaher.com.

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