Completed Staff Work

When I worked at GE, the buzzword of the day – other than process improvement which was big at that time – was a concept called completed staff work.  The concept was developed in the military during WWII. Completed staff work is the study of a problem and provision of a solution by a staff person in such form that all that remains to be done by the boss is to give approval or disapproval of the completed staff action.    In other words, take the initiative to think the problem all the way through, including anticipating any questions your boss might ask, and get it right – and completed – the first time.

 Here is a great story that illustrates this principle:

A certain farmer had become old and ready to pass his farm down to one of his two sons. When he brought his sons together to speak about it, he told them: The farm will go to the younger son.  The older son was furious! “What are you talking about?!” he fumed. 

The father sat patiently, thinking.  “Okay,” the father said, “I need you to do something for me. We need more stock. Will you go to Cibi’s farm and see if he has any cows for sale?”  The older son shortly returned and reported, “Father, Cibi has 6 cows for sale.”  The father graciously thanked the older son for his work.

He then turned to the younger son and said, “I need you to do something for me. We need more stock. Will you go to Cibi’s farm and see if he has any cows for sale?”  The younger son did as he was asked. A short while later, he returned and reported, “Father, Cibi has 6 cows for sale. Each cow will cost 2,000 rupees. If we are thinking about buying more than 6 cows, Cibi said he would be willing to reduce the price 100 rupees. Cibi also said they are getting special jersey cows next week if we aren’t in a hurry, it may be good to wait. However, if we need the cows urgently, Cibi said he could deliver the cows tomorrow.” 

The father graciously thanked the younger son for his work. He then turned to the older son and said, “That’s why your younger brother is getting the farm.”

“Initiative is doing the right thing without being told.” – Victor Hugo

“People and organizations don’t grow much without delegation and completed staff work because they are confined to the capacities of the boss and reflect both personal strengths and weaknesses.” – Stephen Covey

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The Multitasking Myth

Are you are a good multitasker?  Really?  I call “B.S.” on that!

Multitasking is a myth.  Earl Miller – a neuroscientist from MIT – said, “The brain is very good at deluding itself.”  We simply cannot focus on more than one thing at a time.  What we can do, he said, is shift our focus from one thing to the next with astonishing speed.  This is “task switching”.  We can perceive this as paying attention to everything going on, but we really are not.  

Task switching has a two major pitfalls – You will MISS details because you are focused elsewhere; and, you will LOSE details even after you switch focus as your brain needs time to catch up with every switch of attention.  And the devil is in the details.

Ever walk down the street while talking on the phone and stumble?  That’s because for that split second you were focused on the conversation instead of where you put your foot down.  Or the reverse, you slightly missed something that the person on the phone said (“please repeat that”)?  That was because you were focused on the street in front of you.  You can take this example and apply it to anything – texting while driving, reading your email in a meeting, working on two projects at once.  They are all the same. Both of what you are trying to “multitask” suffer.

The only real way to deal with this is to stop trying to multitask.  Deal with tasks sequentially, the way our brains were optimally design to, one after the other, and minimize task switching.  

“Multi-tasking arises out of distraction itself.” – Marilyn vos Savant

“To do two things as once is to do neither.” – Publilius Syrus

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First Things First

“Get your priorities straight!”  I would hazard a guess that most of us have heard this phrase shouted at us at some point in our lives (or said it ourselves, especially if we have children).  Its usual meaning is to get your act in gear and focus on what’s important.  What it really means is that you are not focusing on what is important tome.  

In relationships and business, most problems are caused by a misalignment of priorities – the team not agreeing on priorities as well as individuals on the team making poor decisions managing their own priorities in pursuit of team goals.  For example:  It’s all hands on deck starting a new contract.  A couple team members decide to work on cleaning and organizing their workspaces, tasks that have low importance and low urgency to the new contract or the company, delaying critical deliverables.

These situations set the team up for failure.  The first step is to make sure everyone is on the same page and that team and company priorities are communicated clearly and reinforced often.  Then, when managing your own priorities, here is a great tool – the Eisenhower Matrix (created and used by President Dwight D. Eisenhower during WWII).  This tool sorts tasks by their IMPORTANCE and URGENCY with corresponding actions.  Its purpose is to have you focus on tasks that generate the most value and movement to achieving your goals (like winning WWII).   

·         HIGH Importance & HIGH Urgency (Critical Activities) = Do It First – These tasks should be focused on and always come first.

·         HIGH Importance & LOW Urgency (Important Goals) = Schedule It – Schedule these with the appropriate timeliness so you eventually get to them but they do not derail critical tasks.

·         LOW Importance & HIGH Urgency (Interruptions) = Delegate It – Find a way to use other resources to get these done.  Who else can take care of it?

·         LOW Importance & LOW Urgency (Distractions) = Don’t Do It – It is just as important what you say no to as what you say yes to.  Don’t spend time on what provides little to no value.  If you don’t’ you are missing other opportunities.

Are you managing your priorities and making good decisions about them?  Or, are you just reacting to what is thrown at you?

“If you chase two rabbit’s, you will not catch either one.” – Russian Proverb

“What is important is seldom urgent, and what is urgent is seldom important.” – Dwight D. Eisenhower

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