Wild Goose Chase
People form companies to go into business. Unfortunately many land up pursuing ‘busyness’ instead. Many cartoons, TV series, books, comic strips and sayings try to capture and encapsulate this phenomenon. From the classic expression of being in the rat race or hamsters wheel through to the more vivid descriptions of “running around like headless chickens” through to being on a “wild goose chase”.
Time is a hugely valuable asset. Intuitively we know this. Many people claim that they want to live purposeful lives and have their life mean something and, ideally, make a difference. A near death experience led inspirational speaker Brendon Burchard to ask 3 questions that changed the course of his life, “Did I love, Did I matter, Did I make a difference?” Ideally we will not need a near death experience to change the course of our lives … and yet… many remain stuck on a treadmill wondering if an alternative actually exists.
What about you? Do you live a fulfilling life? Is your work satisfying? What about your team? In a comprehensive study of executives, researchers asked how many of them set strategic plans and actually executed them. The results led authors Chris McChesney, Jim Huling, and Sean Covey to write “The 4 Disciplines of Execution” to help people break out of the “whirlwind” and achieve their ‘Wildly Important Goals’ (WIGS). The first discipline is getting clear on the 1-2 most important goals that you have. Clarity leads to action.
When you reflect on this week, this month, this year to date, how well have you used your time? How well has your team used their time? Time is a resource. We pay people by the hour for their time and skills. In my experience when people are required to analyse their time usage it is not unusual for people to find that 30-50% of their time is ‘wasted’. Interruptions, waiting on others, procrastination, lack of clear instructions, lack of motivation, too much on, poor prioritisation, are among the top identified reasons people give. These are ALL preventable. Looking at yourself and your team you would likely argue with my time wastage estimation. It is hardly like people are just standing around doing nothing! Your observation of your team is most likely correct. They are busy. Busy does not pay bills. Productivity does.
One warehouse team I worked with were so busy they had asked for another team member to join them. Before acquiescenting, a study was done of their movements, activities and productivity through the day. They were certainly busy, covering huge distances. A closer look revealed that often they would cut open a box, put their knife down, get the product and take it to dispatch before heading off to pick up the next product, only to discover they did not have their knife (or pen, scanner, tape gun, etc). The running around looking for tools was costing the company thousands of dollars. A belt was designed for each team member to hold all the tools and accessories they needed. Productivity increased dramatically and another team member was not needed.
If the acronyms resonated a little too closely for your comfort, consider where are you wasting time? Take action. Remember it is not about being busy it is about being effective and productive.
