Musings

I hope some of the content here might be helpful to others and will allow you to understand the way I work and what is important to me in the way I work.

One Page Profiles

One of the core components of working on a more collective and more open way is the concept of One Page Profiles. They are significant help when coming together as teams of colleagues and allow us to share what we think is important. There are many different formats that others use but this one works for me and I thought I would share it here.

Maybe give it a go. Or better still, ask your teams to think about it!

Using Time Well

Having just completed another round of 360 feedback in preparation for my annual appraisal, I was interested in how many people spoke of my very high levels of productivity – we won’t mention the bits where they said I was a royal pain in the neck!

I am often asked this question…’How do you manage to do everything’. I am also respected as a very happy and optimistic person. Busy with a smile on my face, I guess you could say!

I am the Chief Operating Officer at the charity Mencap, with a deal of operational accountability and a 24 / 7 portfolio. I am in year three of my PhD at Bayes Business school and I have a rich personal life with a wonderful and energetic partner, David, and two young adult children who love nothing more than us spending time together. I have hobbies, pursuits, love travelling and can relax in a moment. Yes, life is very busy, but more rewarding than anything I could possibly have wished for.

I am deeply aware of ‘time’ and class it as the one of the world’s most important commodities. Whilst they say the best things in life are free, alas, they are not infinite!

I find myself often sharing some of the things that work for me when managing my time and I have thought about how I can do that more efficiently (see React Proactively below) and so I share it here because its far easier to share in writing and takes less time than regaling it to numerous people!

I will preface this by saying I am aware that reading management musings often irritate – and in all seriousness there were quite a few neck pain comments in the 360! These are just my learnings. They have neither science nor evaluation behind them but perhaps they will be of interest. Perhaps you will use ‘D number 2’ below, but if not then I hope these ten tips are of interest!

1. Feel the rhythm

Whilst I am sure the soothing sounds of music help us all at times, it is the circadian type of rhythm that I reference here. We all have one and it is unique to us. It is far more than the number of hours we wake and sleep or the energy we have at various times. I strongly believe we are better at certain things at particular times than at others. Early morning is my writing and thinking time. Problem solving is often better in the late morning and afternoon and by the evening I drift into a right-brained creative space where I can see possibilities and innovative approaches far easier – and then I write them down the next morning. My point is this – use your rhythm wisely and think of how to use your natural propensities most efficiently. I do not write papers in the evening (I am writing this at 4am in the morning), nor do I try to address monumental risks when my brain wants to draw pictures! This tactic means that I am more efficient through the right activities, and I often achieve far more when I consciously allow my rhythm to determine those pursuits.

A note on this however: Our colleagues, friends and lovers also have unique rhythms. Get to know them and be willing to respect and compromise alongside their preferences.

2. Don’t wait for the kettle to boil

…..and certainly don’t watch it or it never will! The amount of latent time in our lives is quite astounding. The queues, the on hold calls and the time it takes for water to get to tea temperature. Using some of this time allows me to multitask to a level that is noted widely and where several tasks can be addressed concurrently. I can now empty my dishwasher and sweep my kitchen whilst the kettle is boiling and the toaster is toasting. It sounds simple but its applications are far wider. Assessing how long certain tasks take can really help when there are minutes of latent time, and using this not only creates further time efficiency but also makes you feel like you have a bit of superpower! Do not believe any of the gender related doctrines – with a bit of thinking we can ALL multitask!

3. Aim for zero

Jumping faults in equestrian sports is not the only place where zero is the target. In a world where electronic communication is prominent, the Inbox has become an item that causes severe heart-sink. Double and often triple-digit indicators of unread messages creates a hamster / wheel feeling that is detrimental in the extreme. My tactic is simple – I aim for zero in my Inbox. It has been a good amount of time since I have not achieved it by the time I sign off in the evening. I cannot describe the feeling of liberation! Once achieved, maintenance is easier and get this: your response times reduce and your teams and stakeholders comment on the speed at which you are dealing with work. Freedom and praise! Gotta get yourself some of that! Now in the mornings I sit with my cup of tea and perhaps a slice of toast and feel elation to see that I am hovering close to nought – and the floor is swept and the dishwasher is empty!

4. Touch things once

This is the wise advice I received from Hamish Bethune (RIP), a superb leader, a great mentor and the truest of friends. Without espousing the risks of blindness, he taught me to only touch things as little as I possibly could. So, what does that mean? It means if you pick up a piece of paper (metaphorically of course) you only put it down when it is dealt with. Don’t move it to another part of your desk into the ‘pending pile’ (oh the names of boxes I have seen on desks……..Inbox, Outbox, Pending Box, Too Difficult To Do Box, Other Box!). Not one for acronyms, but the 4 Ds helps here. Delay it. Delete it. Delegate it. Deal with it. It is almost always possible to know what you are getting into before you open an email (I am a stickler for using good subject lines). Before you lift the lid, think about whether this is the right time and if it is then act in the moment. The concept of reading an email and either then marking it unread or putting it into a pending file is one that fills me with true despair! I will never achieve Zero if I build my productivity on doing things more than once.

5. Tomorrow comes!

One of my mantras is this…….’don’t put off ‘til tomorrow what you can do today……because you might like it today and then you can do it again tomorrow!’. Of course, we cannot do everything in the same day but we can allocate days to activities. And when we do, let's do those things ‘today’, remembering it might be fun and it will certainly leave us feeling effective! In simple terms its sticking to your plans, and of course that needs the basic tools of time management which include planning, prioritising and productivity. It's also about personal ambition and diligence. It links to another of my mantras……..’you won’t just find time; make time’. I do not challenge Einstein here, but rather the concept that sometimes its busy and you need to create additional space for the work in hand. I tend to do this early morning if I know I have something to achieve on a particular day where there are some conflicting priorities. Some of us work later in the evening. Either way some days need more of you than others. But achieving today makes tomorrow a far better prospect!

6. React proactively

Ain’t it a drag when you just have to give something time? The ailment of work! As a dog person I feel a lack of guilt by the concept of variety when it comes to skinning cats. There are indeed many ways to approach or achieve something. When a thing is going to take my time, I proactively think about how I can create once in a way that I can use multiple times. Think templates! Think automation! Think simple and replicable! The most obvious example for me is the creation of dashboards. Yes, they require expertise, time and effort but think of the return! I cannot even bear to count the numbers of hours I have spent in my career chasing information for reports and the like. Whilst I feel some shame, I feel more shame when I did the same chasing for the same information every month! Hours and days spent getting it in the first place and days on the weekend and annual leave spent putting it together. We all have regular and perpetual issues to deal with at work. Stop, think and react proactively to those things and work in ways to systemise predictable expectations.

7. Re-use and recycle

I struggle with the phrase ‘don’t reinvent the wheel’ concept. Often, we are trying to create new wheels. Maybe they have a greater diameter, are driven differently or serve different purposes. But they do have similarities, and this is regularly the case when it comes to writing reports or creating administrative products in the workplace – one of the areas that drains huge amounts of time. Wherever possible revisit previous work and see what components or concepts are common to your new endeavours and then lift and drop (Ctrl C and Ctrl V is you want to be super efficient). As an academic I would of course counsel against plagiarising without reference, but there are many components of organisational assets that can be used with plurality and relevantly for different purposes. Be judicious but exploit what is there already. I also find that stakeholders often find that sticking to the same format, and revisiting what has been before helps thinking and decision making. Creating new formats and attempting to use alternative ways of saying things is not only wasteful of time but often leads to frustration and confusion. A win-win I suggest!

8. Beware the monkeys!

Many of us are aware of the thinking portrayed by Kenneth Blanchard in his One Minute Manager series, but his analogy of managers being handed monkeys profoundly influenced my management style (The One Minute Manager Meets the Monkey). For those unfamiliar with this , it is a concept where colleagues pass monkeys onto management for them to be dealt with. Now, I originally saw these as burdens on my shoulder and became fairly astute at spotting them across my desk. Now I see them more like those fellas in Gibraltar that steal precious things from unsuspecting tourists. That is what they do – they get comfortable in my work environment and when I am not looking they steal my precious time! Whatever image they conjure up for you, they are best avoided. Beware them, and learn to spot the monkey purveyors. I have learned now to appreciate the monkey, talk about the monkey, even sometimes play with the monkey, but I never allow them to take up residence. They are best dealt with and controlled by those who first owned them – and therein lies a great opportunity to develop the skills others need to become excellent managers!

9. Know when you can and do what you have to….

This is a slightly altered line from one of Dan Fogelberg’s song Part of the Plan. I cannot mention the great artist without giving credit to my wonderful sister Susan who introduced me to his music in my formative years. I should also reference Ruth May, the now Chief Nursing Officer for England. Ruth was the first Executive Director to whom I reported when I was in the NHS over 20 years ago and she told me I would never be a successful director unless I learned to focus less on ‘doing’. She told me the clue was in the job title! Wise advice, certainly, but I see it slightly differently now. It is true in jobs where one holds wide responsibilities, the art of delegation is essential for survival. Mobilisation of people, talents and resources is a key role of leaders but so too is participation and contribution. There are things that I can do quicker and better than others. It is true for us all. Where this is the case I still get involved in ‘doing’ because ultimately it saves time. Of course, the role of developing others is central to good leadership. That said, dirty hands are working hands and no matter our position we should be willing to dig in when required and particularly where our own abilities add true value.

10. Sometimes 9 is enough.......