Improve Your Effectiveness

INTRODUCTION

You either run your own business, or are a senior manager in

a larger organisation.  You have two over-riding tasks: you

are responsible for translating thoughts into deeds, and raw

materials into finished product.  You also have to balance

the short- and long-term needs of the enterprise: to keep

one eye on the next step and the other on the horizon.  Not

easy.

The everyday jobs are well known and include planning,

organising, co-ordinating and controlling.  As well, you

have responsibilities to motivate, communicate etc.  These

tasks and responsibilities can be well carried out - or not.

The organisation or business - and especially you - depends

for its survival on them being done effectively.  With the

trend away from mass unskilled labour, to smaller, highly

trained teams, the lack of brawn has to be outweighed by

extra brains somewhere.  That somewhere is you.

There are libraries full of textbooks which will explain

these tasks and responsibilities to you far better than I

can.  So rather than repeat these, this book plans to take

an attitude approach.  That is, rather than list all the

essential actions you need to take - an impossible task

since each organisation is so different, I would not be able

to cover everything anyway - I will concentrate on your

attitude or frame of mind.  And it will highlight key areas

where positive thinking will pay dividends:

* managing time

* assessing your contribution

* building on your strengths

* developing your concentration

* making effective decisions

MANAGING time

The elusive Resource

time can't be stored or recalled; it is finite and always in

short supply.  There is never enough time to tackle even the

important jobs, so it makes no sense to waste this precious

commodity on non-essential activities.  Most people,

however, have a very poor idea of where their time goes.

Memory is notoriously unreliable where time is concerned and

attempts to recall from memory how you spent your day will

always lead to misleading results.

This need not be the case.  Some people regularly conduct an

audit of their time to make sure they are not wasting any.

The process can be made mechanical to ease the pain, and if

it is done regularly - and the results acted upon - it will

lead to a remarkable improvement in performance.  Because

you will be spending more of your precious time on the tasks

that matter.

Recording

Rather than sitting in your favourite armchair trying to

recall the events of the day, you should record the day as

it happens.  An example of a Daily Log Form is shown below

(and a full page example has been included for you to

photocopy).  To get a comprehensive picture, the logging

needs to be done over a long period - to smooth out any

cyclic patterns.  In reality, of course, this would be

impossible.  Nevertheless, you should aim to record each day

of the week.  This can be spread out over several weeks to

ease the burden.  For example:

week 1 - Monday & Friday

week 2 - Tuesday & Thursday

week 3 - Wednesday

It is important to record the events as they occur, and in

enough detail that the day can be analysed later.  Again

from a practical point of view, you will probably agree that

trying to record at less than 5 minute intervals is

unworkable.  If possible, try and get someone to help you.

Once you have completed the recording, the results need to

be analysed.

Analysis

There are two ways of analysing your data:

* Function

* Questions

Function

Firstly, you could review the day and put the events into

various categories: selling, telephone, report writing,

meetings, etc.  You will be surprised at how much of your

time is NOT devoted to your main job.

Questions

It is important to pose three questions about each event:

"What would happen if this was not done?"

If the answer is "Nothing", then the remedy is clear.  If

not doing the particular event would have no effect on your

business, then don't bother to do it.  However, most of the

events will have some value, so you next need to ask: "Could

someone else do this better?"

Delegation is not the lazy man's way out.  It is important

to have tasks done by the most appropriate person.  Perhaps

the guy in the next desk has better information; or the new

graduate may be able to use more efficient techniques.  If

the answer is "Yes", then you are freed to concentrate on

the tasks for which you are best qualified - and this again

leads to an improvement in effectiveness.  But if the job is

important, and cannot be done by anyone else, then ask

yourself: "Does it waste anyone else's time?"

This is the most difficult question to answer, since most

people over-rate their own importance.  The prime example

is, of course, the meeting.  Most of these are badly run,

last for hours because everyone feels they have to

contribute, and rarely accomplishes anything which could not

have been settled by a simple phone call.  Prune your

meetings to a minimum; hold them infrequently and restrict

the numbers present to a handful.  Otherwise you will be

wasting everyone's time.

Time Wasters

Further study of your Time Log will reveal those recurrent

problems, which waste so much time.  Wouldn't it be better

to take a day to really study the problem at its cause, and

solve it - rather than waste hours each week or month

mopping up the problem's effects.

Finally, if you are in a larger organisation, you may find

that some activities are duplicated by someone else, or are

carried out because the information you need is not

available in the appropriate format.

Consolidation

After pruning those jobs which don't need doing at all,

re-allocating other, you should have 'created' some time for

real work.  You would be far better to organise this time

into larger bites - rather than nibbles.  Spending 15

minutes a day for two weeks on the marketing campaign will

produce nothing more than a few doodles; the same overall

amount of time in an uninterrupted sketch may well produce

the first draft.  Or at least a 'draft' draft.

Case Study 1

Company X was in electronics, supplying equipment to

customers on order.  Prior to the contract a systems

engineer would study the customer's specification and would

compile a list of all the equipment needed to satisfy the

proposal.  This list included identities, quantities, etc,

and they were written by hand on a form called a Price Build

Up Sheet (PBUS).  The form was then processed by the

Commercial Department.  Parts of it (dealing with items

bought from other suppliers) went to the Purchasing

Department, whilst details of home-manufactured equipment

went to the Works Estimators.  In both cases, the Commercial

Department re-writes the information on to new forms.  When

the cost figures have been agreed and returned to the

Commercial Department, the prices have to be transcribed

back onto the PBUS.  Once the contract has been awarded, the

same systems engineer has to produce the definitive article

- the Procurement Schedule - and this again is compiled by

hand from the ground up.  When this is received by the

contract office, they have to transcribe the Information

again onto two new forms: one for Purchasing, and one for

The Works.

In this painful process, the information has had to be

produced on numerous occasions with an enormous labour bill

which could have been saved.  Moreover, think of all the

opportunities for simple transcribing or typing errors.

two simple devices seem to present a solution: the use of a

database of the information, which could be sifted and

sorted for specific contracts.  Secondly, a short time spent

on form design may lead to a single format which could

satisfy all the participants.

ASSESSING YOUR CONTRIBUTION

You

This may be a change of attitude, but I am suggesting you do

not worry about how busy you are, or how much work you have,

what techniques to use or how many people work for you.

Concentrate on results, and ask yourself: "What can I

contribute?"

If the question is followed through, the answers will

identify present shortcomings and suggest ways of tackling

the essential progress you need to make.  The process will

set new standards of excellence.  A useful sub-question is:

"What can I do - that no-one else can?"  Knowing your

strengths is as important as knowing your weaknesses (as we

shall see later) and if you have specialised knowledge or

skills which are under-used then blow that horn!

The team

Team-work is vital in any enterprise, and in this group we

are offering a new slant on the boss/work situation.  Any

group of individuals will be more effective if they work

together; but the extra performance only comes from

commitment.  All of us have been in the situation where the

boss hands out tasks and techniques in 'tablets of stone';

it is not pleasant, we get bitter and our performance is

nowhere near maximum potential.  Far better to say to your

colleagues: "This is what the Company has to do this year.

What can you contribute?"

We are talking participation and commitment - not mere

involvement.  The distinction is important.  For example, if

you were having pork for dinner, all the family could

participate in the meal.  The pig, however, is involved!

The answer you get is not as important as the fact that you

get an answer:  communications links have been opened.  You

cannot impose communication from the top, true teamwork can

only come if those who work with you really feel committed

to the same end result.  The man or woman who gives you the

answer has indicated that they are prepared to contribute to

the team, and they then become an important resource - and

not a drain on funds.

Setting objectives

Having assessed your team and the contribution it can make

at present, the setting of realistic objectives becomes much

easier.  You no longer have to impose these, since you have

opened up a dialogue.  You can discuss team and individual

objectives and agree on them.  Some people think that this

is fudging the issue, that your subordinates will take

advantage of this and set deliberately low, easily

obtainable objectives.  This is a pretty poor view of human

nature, and has also been proved to be false.  If they are

encouraged to participate and contribute, the vast majority

of people will set high, realistic goals for themselves -

and their team.

Once these have been agreed, it becomes much easier to

recognise the important elements of work and to spot these

vital signals above the background noise of effort, hours,

tools and techniques.  Meetings, reviews and reports can be

more easily directed leading again to more effective use of

your time.

BUILDING ON STRENGTHS

Picking the Team

At first glance "Building on Strengths" seems to be one of

those obvious statements you find in "recipes for success".

However, I am using it as a positive side of the deliberate

disregard of irrelevant weaknesses.  In other words, choose

your people with the strengths you need and don't debar

someone because of a minor flaw.  Choosing the 'well

rounded' individual may lead to a team of mediocrities.

Assessing the Job

The first step, of course, is to decide what jobs need to be

done.  This should give a general picture - if you get too

specific at this stage, you may not be able to fill the

posts! As your business develops, the jobs within it should

change too, so it is good practice to review all the job

regularly and to check their objectives.  This should lead

to the development of some jobs and possibly a shift in

emphasis in others.  Don't let your people get into a rut.

Their jobs should be big and demanding, otherwise the people

will become stunted and frustrated.

Assessing the Person

Quite a few of the text-books referred to in this book have

sections on appraisal schemes.  Speaking personally, I have

never found a scheme which actually works - outside the

armed forces.  The problem is that appraisal schemes focus

on weaknesses and their eradication.  Consequently, most

people duck the issue, because it is too painful.  I think

it is impossible to conduct such a scheme and still retain a

viable working relationship after one of the parties has had

'his palms read'.  In the armed forces, the problem is dealt

with by discipline, but most civilian enterprises need

something different.

So rather than pointing out weaknesses, you should

'accentuate the positive': "What has he/she done?"; "What

can he/she do?" and "What skills does he/she need to develop

to their full potential?"  These questions can be asked in

the framework of the person's objectives which you have both

agreed upon: "How much of the task has been achieved?" and

"What can I do to help them complete it - or to develop

further?"

Suffer The Weaknesses

People do have weaknesses, but provided they are not

critical ones of character or integrity, they should be

suffered, in return for above average performance.  We are

not condoning poor performance and indeed, you should not

tolerate someone who persistently fails to perform to

potential.  It isn't fair to anyone: the individual, the

team or you.  In this situation, ask yourself those

questions again.  You may discover that the reason that Joe

cannot cope with this task is that you haven't given him

adequate training, or that he would be better suited doing

another - equally important - job.

The emphasis of all the foregoing has been on attitude.  We

are not trotting out a bag of tricks for you to play with.

Don't play at it: believe sincerely in this participative

approach and you will be amazed at the improvement in your

overall effectiveness.  People don't want a hum drum, boring

job: given the opportunity of a REAL job, they will jump at

it and improve their own performance out of all recognition.

DEVELOPING YOUR CONCENTRATION

One Thing at a Time

Not many people can complete several things at the same

time.  You may have several tasks on your plate, but it is

foolish to try and deal with them all at once: first things

first, and one thing at a time.  You now know all about time

analysis and this should have weeded out the non-essentials,

so all the remaining tasks will have some importance.  The

trick now is to decide on their order of priority.  You

cannot make hard and fast rules, because situations change

priorities, but each set of tasks should be 'ordered'.  This

list will change as tasks are completed, and new ones

assumed.  You may find that some tasks stay on your list for

a long time, never important enough to rise to the top.  At

this stage you would be justified in dropping them since,

presumably, you have suffered no hardship by leaving them

incomplete: they were obviously not as important as you

thought.

Challenge the Past

We have all suffered from having the irritating task which

seems pointless; nobody knows when it started, nobody knows

what it is for.  These failures are easy to deal with.  But

you should also be aware that sometimes yesterday's

successes can turn into today's millstone.  A particular

task may have been useful six months ago, but the business

situation has since changed and it is no longer valid:

discard it.

MAKING THE RIGHT DECISION

The Essential Task

Whether you are running your own show, or are a senior

manager in another company, making decisions is your

fundamental activity.  Business survival depends on correct

decision-making; not the short term solving of problems, but

the ability to see the wood for the trees.  These deep

decisions are not made very often, and it is best they are

not made in a hurry.

Tackle the Right Problem

The most difficult stage in decision making is NOT finding

the solution, but in correctly identifying the real problem.

If this is not done thoroughly, then you will end up

treating the symptoms rather than the disease.  The whole

situation needs to be analysed, and each problem - major or

minor - identified.  From this list, you should concentrate

on those which are causal problems: i.e. those which are at

the root of the trouble, because these are the ones you have

to tackle.  If you solve these, then the other problems will

disappear.

Case Study 2

Sales of your Widgits have fallen off in the last month.

After investigation, you find that your Head Salesman, Fred,

has been turning up late.  To stop this you fine him every

morning he is late: this will cut down on costs and offset

the loss in revenue. But has it solved the problem?  Of

course not.  Fred is hardly going to act as the super

salesman now is he?  The trouble is, although you think you

have identified the reason for the fall in sales, you have

not found the causal problem: "Why has Fred suddenly started

being late for work?"  This is the problem which needs to be

found and solved.

However, you have fallen into the trap of seizing the

obvious, easy problem.  Because this little scenario seems

to tie into the drop in sales, you have not investigated any

further.  By taking a wider view, you may discover that a

new competitor has entered the market, or that your

competitors are suffering too because there has been a

general drop in demand for the product.  Keep your options

open until you have fully researched the situation.

In trying to find the real problems, take a very broad view;

try not to home in on specific facts, but look for patterns

- "Is this unique or is it a variant of the problem we had

last year?"

Setting the Limits

You must define the limits, or conditions of the solution.

They should reflect your overall objectives, and they will

also determine which 'solutions' are acceptable.  Completing

this task may lead to finding the 'ideal' solution, which

will satisfy all the limits.  Ignore the drawbacks for now -

compromise will come soon enough!

Developing the Alternatives

In these situations there are very few real facts available.

Those items which are produced as well will probably be

biased: in any case, facts are only valid for when they

happened; they are history, and probably applied only to a

different set of circumstances in another place and time.

Seek opinions, and then test these as hypotheses.  Whatever

else, you must try and spark disagreement, because only then

will you generate the alternatives you need.  No-one ever

made the right decision in a group where everyone agreed!

You need imagination, some really 'off the wall' ideas and

the ability - through other people - of seeing both sides of

all your possible solutions before making your call.  Don't

forget that "Do Nothing" is a valid alternative in any

situation.

Effecting the Decision

Like good medicine, a good solution does not taste sweet.

Once you have decided, leave it alone for a few days.  Then,

refreshed, review the background, analysis, causal problems,

alternatives and solution.  If you are still happy with your

decision, then implement it straight away.  We don't just

mean publish a new procedure.  If the decision has to be put

into effect by others, you need to motivate them and get

them to adopt the solution too.  Be honest, if they do not

wholeheartedly support the change, you may as well not

bother.  Your task here is to make sure that all the

necessary skills and resources are made available to the

right people.

Validating the Decision

Even after following the guidelines so far, and by your open

attitude, having earned the support of your colleagues, you

need to check that the decision has been implemented

correctly.  Set aside a period and review the situation.

The length of time will vary with the complexity of the

decision - and your operation.  And after taking so much

time and trouble, your solution may not turn out to be

suitable.  Other problems may have been created, new

information may render it invalid: for any number of

reasons, you may have to reconsider.  Do not be afraid to

change your mind - it is not a sign of weakness, but of true

strength to recognise that events have proved you were

wrong.

SUMMARY

You are a vital element of your organisation - be it small

or large, and improving your effectiveness will bring large

rewards.  The book has tried to concentrate on developing an

attitude, rather than setting you up with a new bag of

techniques.

Particularly if you work with other people, techniques only

go so far.  They cannot help you to win others' support, or

to develop true team spirit.  People can see through shallow

gestures and techniques and you will lose them - maybe

forever.  Having the right attitude - and sincerely

believing in it - can go a long way to improving the

effectiveness of yourself, your team, and your organisation.