efficiency Archives - Dennis E. Gilbert

11
May 21
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Time Efficiency Starts With More Patience

Tags : culture efficiency productivity psychology of work time

Time and efficiency are not the same thing. Time efficiency probably sounds a lot more like productivity. Is faster better, less risky, and more meaningful? Unlikely.

It is always a race against a clock.

We needed this yesterday.

It’s overdue.

Must be done now.

It’s true, time does cost. Yet, so does a lack of clarity, errors made in haste, and inferior quality.

Vloggers sometimes speed up their final product, a time-lapse of sorts, get through the slow spots faster. Someone might fast forward through the commercials of a recorded television show. Install a Chrome browser extension to speed up viewing of video content. Is it the same experience for everyone?

Of course, it isn’t.

Setting Pace

People have different life experiences, different listening and perception skills, and even a pace that feels just right.

Some people walk faster, others slower. Read faster, read slower. Enjoy the moment longer, or skip the moment altogether.

The result? Like most things in life there is a sweet spot in the middle. Outliers tend to exist on either end of the continuum.

Time management matters but it is more than just streamlining a schedule.

Finished first is important, but a nice-looking boat that won’t float has much less value.

For workplace leaders, sometimes you have to go slow, to go fast.

Time Efficiency

A team pushed too far will have more mistakes, more waste, and increased issues with quality. Worse, when the team learns more about the metric used for measurement and the pressure is high, integrity starts to slip.

A team member falling behind is often skipped rather than supported. It’s a harmful cultural scenario that applies more pressure to top performers as they make up for lagging contributors. Eventually, top performers burn out, feel abused and misused.

Individuals and organizations often need more time efficiency.

That often starts with more patience. Get everyone onboard. Run on all cylinders.

Don’t wait, get started.

The clock is ticking.

-DEG

Dennis E. Gilbert is a business consultant, speaker (CSP^TM), and culture expert. He is a five-time author and the founder of Appreciative Strategies, LLC. His business focuses on positive human performance improvement solutions through Appreciative Strategies®. Reach him through his website at Dennis-Gilbert.com or by calling +1 646.546.5553.

08
Mar 21
-

Workplace Uptime Is Valued By Measurement

Tags : downtime effectiveness efficiency uptime workplace

What is most memorable, workplace uptime or the glitches, stumbles, and falls? Sometimes what is the most valued is also the easiest to take for granted.

Focus often starts with a surprise. Even at the birthday party the element of surprise seems to create a lasting impression.

When the shipment is delayed, unexpectedly, it’s considered a surprise. The same is true for the power outage, the broken heating or cooling system, and a shipping container full of faulty circuit boards.

Uptime and downtime are often discussed in technology. It is also relevant for manufacturing plants and traffic lights.

If you’re using WiFi or a wired system for internet access how do you measure it’s success? Is it measured by how long it has been up or is the conversation more about how long it has been down?

The State of Texas recently (Feb. 2021) had a deep freeze, one of the worst on modern record. Measurements of uptime, for decades, didn’t seem to matter. It was the horror of downtime that grasp the most attention.

Workplace Uptime

In the workplace everyone gains efficiency and effectiveness as a result of the system. There is a system of processes, there are rules, procedures, and policies. When everything clicks, it’s usually pretty good.

There is a surprise when it doesn’t click. The flow is gone, the disruption is a threat. It’s an open door for competition, and many fear that if it isn’t quickly managed it may be the beginning of the end.

All of those may be true. The quest to minimize or eliminate downtime is real.

When you forget about the threat of downtime, it makes uptime seem so much less meaningful.

It shouldn’t take downtime to understand the value of what is being created on 99.999 percent of the other days.

-DEG

Dennis E. Gilbert is a business consultant, speaker (CSP^TM), and culture expert. He is a five-time author and the founder of Appreciative Strategies, LLC. His business focuses on positive human performance improvement solutions through Appreciative Strategies®. Reach him through his website at Dennis-Gilbert.com or by calling +1 646.546.5553.

04
Mar 21
-

Energize Daily, Life Is Like a Battery

Tags : balance efficiency energy life work

An apple a day? Do you energize daily or just go with the flow? Are you conscious of how you spend your time?

Not everyone makes their own schedule, especially as it relates to workloads on the job, but have you considered what you do and when?

I’m a morning person. Not everyone is, but I happen to be. I’ve also used it to my advantage across my career.

I could force myself to stay in bed and wait on the rest of the world to get up, but what would I be missing?

A better life I believe.

Most people can adapt to one way or another. People who work third shift for years have a tendency to want to stick with the program.

What about you? Have you adjusted your biorhythms to adapt or are you more leaning towards what seems to come naturally?

There are certain things I feel you have to do so that you get the most of your day.

For example, much of my college experience was as a non-traditional student. In order to keep doing some of what I wanted, I needed to get up at 6:00 AM on weekends to study. It worked for me. That way around 10:00 AM I could actually do somethings that I really wanted to do. Discipline and persistence got me through it.

When are your batteries fully charged?

Energize Daily

When it comes to your work or your career how are you working? Are you taking advantage of when you have the most physical energy versus when you have the most mental energy? Are they at the same time or at different times?

The same is true for when you exercise, do household chores, or shop for groceries. It might also be true for when you pay the bills, chat with friends, or catch up with social media.

Gaining high-efficiency and effectiveness comes with being strategic about managing your time.

If you really need to concentrate or brainstorm, considering doing it when you have the most mental energy. If you need to do something physical, try to schedule it when you have the most physical energy.

For your life, or in your job, are you taking care of your energy?

Life energy is like a battery. It works best when its fully charged.

-DEG

Dennis E. Gilbert is a business consultant, speaker (CSP^TM), and culture expert. He is a five-time author and the founder of Appreciative Strategies, LLC. His business focuses on positive human performance improvement solutions through Appreciative Strategies®. Reach him through his website at Dennis-Gilbert.com or by calling +1 646.546.5553.

29
Jan 21
-

Old Photos, Bicycles, and Workplace Culture

Tags : efficiency history nostalgia workplace culture

Do old photos catch your eye? Are you a bicycle enthusiast? How could this possibly have anything to do with workplace culture?

Old photos are often cherished. A family portrait, an old black and white picture album, or even a photo of someone completely unknown. There is imagination, a story we tell ourselves, and some wonder of what it must have been like.

It’s a piece of history.

The roots of the modern bicycle date back to 1817. It was a means of transportation, less energy to get people farther, faster.

Then it was motorized in the late 1800s and very early 1900s. Once motorized there was no need to peddle. Comfort improved, so did speed.

The evolution took us from walking to leisurely rides by the 1920s and ’30s, and as the decades rolled forward there were even more improvements.

An invention that once served a purpose for low-cost transportation, became leisurely and sophisticated.

Today people ride bicycles mostly for exercise or sport.

What do old photos and bicycles have to do with workplace culture?

Old Photos and Bicycles are Culture

Culture is built on values and beliefs. It’s part of the language, the brand, and what people see.

Within any culture, the story is both real and imagined. Often there is innovation and redesign. Enhancements are welcomed to reduce effort and produce more of the same across a shorter period of time.

Most of all, there is history.

Metaphorically every workplace has an old photo. A story and imagination of how it once worked. It provides meaning, symbols, and stimulates espoused values.

Every workplace metaphorically has a bicycle. Something that was built and changed everything, effort improved, more done with less energy. Yet remnants of the bicycle often remain or are brought back, even if only for the art or the exercise.

Old photos and bicycles exist in every workplace culture.

What is your old photo or bicycle?

Should they stay or go, at least for right now?

-DEG

Dennis E. Gilbert is a business consultant, speaker (CSP^TM), and culture expert. He is a five-time author and the founder of Appreciative Strategies, LLC. His business focuses on positive human performance improvement solutions through Appreciative Strategies®. Reach him through his website at Dennis-Gilbert.com or by calling +1 646.546.5553.

02
Sep 20
-

Workplace Efficiencies Are Different From Being Busy

Tags : busy efficiency productive workplace

Efficient work is important work. Workplace efficiencies are not synonymous with being busy or productive.

Often when you ask someone, “How is business?”

They will respond with, “Busy.”

A similar response may be received for, “How was your day?”

Does Busy Matter?

People are busy. The workplace hustle keeps everyone on their toes. Whether you are WFH (Working from Home) or working in a more conventional setting, busy feels good.

There are variations of busy.

I’ve processed 100 email messages this morning.

It’s hard to get anything done with so many interruptions.

Today feels slow, but I’m staying busy.

None of these mean that you are working efficiently, or that you are productive.

Unknowingly, some organizations develop a culture of busy. In a culture of busy, work is often measured by motion. Who or what appears to be energized and active? When motion is observed, they’re busy.

This makes managing in remote or WFH settings even more interesting. What was once gauged as productive and efficient is now unknown. Although in reality, it may have never been known and certainly not efficient or productive.

Workplace Efficiencies

In service sectors, anything from Healthcare, to wedding planning, to pet sitting, efficiency matters. While you may be efficient, you may not be productive.

The dog walker may be efficient when taking your pet for a stroll, but productive may mean they can walk two or three dogs at a time.

Running a smooth operation means you need to be more than busy. It means that you should be efficient, but also highly productive.

Doing rework, work with a lot of motion but not going anywhere, or efficiencies that lack scale, are not necessarily productive.

Maybe we should change the answer.

How is business?

Productive.

-DEG

Dennis E. Gilbert is a business consultant, speaker (CSP^TM), and culture expert. He is a five-time author and the founder of Appreciative Strategies, LLC. His business focuses on positive human performance improvement solutions through Appreciative Strategies®. Reach him through his website at Dennis-Gilbert.com or by calling +1 646.546.5553.

28
Oct 19
-

A Problem with Meeting Problems

Tags : efficiency meeting management metrics problem solving

There are a lot of reasons why meetings are held. Sometimes it is about ensuring a message is heard and understood. In other cases, it is about problem solving. Are meeting problems bringing you down?

When you look to the task force, the committee, or the project management update there is a direct objective in mind. Objectives should be connected to goals, metrics, and measurement.

Picking Low-Hanging Fruit

Part of the meeting then is about calling out the goals and objectives and gathering updates about status and measurements. Items that are deficient or not yet completed are open for discussion.

People may bring excuses or try to cast blame, yet often, many problems are being solved each day. The difficult reality is that the tough problems tend to linger. If they were easy to solve, they probably would have been solved by now.

Instead of a meeting about updates, you may be having a meeting about the challenges, the hard parts, or the sticking points.

Procrastination often leads to doing the simplest tasks first. It is a form of picking the low-hanging fruit.

Meeting Problems

Better may be to address the toughest parts up front.

A tough part broken down into smaller pieces is of course easier to manage and creates a sense of progress and accomplishment. Instead, often, the tough part is set aside. It is not broken down into smaller pieces. It’s just waiting.

Waiting on problems to fix themselves sometimes happens, yet for most of our workplace challenges this seldom occurs.

A problem that isn’t going to get fixed easily is often more about the assumed depth, energy required, or collaboration effort than it is about its size.

Meeting problems are often tough because the easy parts are nearly always tackled first. If you want to improve the efficiency of the meeting come prepared to tackled the big problems in smaller pieces.

Old news, yet, have you considered the flow of your meetings?

-DEG

Dennis E. Gilbert is a business consultant, speaker (CSP^TM), and culture expert. He is a five-time author and the founder of Appreciative Strategies, LLC. His business focuses on positive human performance improvement solutions through Appreciative Strategies®. Reach him through his website at Dennis-Gilbert.com or by calling +1 646.546.5553.

24
May 17
-

Workplace Drama and the High Costs Associated with Managing It

Tags : culture drama efficiency leadership reputation

Ask anyone in middle management or a front line supervisor about workplace distractions and you’re likely to hear about the drama. In what ways is negative and harmful workplace drama costing your organization?

Often front line staff view drama as just a part of their workday. In fact, some of them might be directly responsible for its existence. As a society we might get entertainment value from drama, in the workplace it often isn’t much different.

Management often chooses to ignore drama. It is true that sometimes ignoring it will help it to go away. If the drama doesn’t get any attention, if no one reacts, it might fizzle to nothing. In other cases, it might get louder.

Workplace Drama

What is drama costing your organization? Here are five of many problematic outcomes of workplace drama:

Absenteeism and turnover. Certainly, drama easily connects here. Often someone is the aggressor, which might mean someone else is the victim. No news here, it causes absenteeism and turnover.
Sabotage. Unfortunately, as the drama or conflict escalates so do the consequences. Unfortunately, employees may decide to sabotage another’s work or effort. In some cases, retaliation might be against the entire organization. Extreme drama might also invite theft or other ethical challenges.
Reduced efficiency. When employees become more interested or more focused on the drama it is at the expense of productivity. Water cooler chats might increase and become unproductive. So might texting, emailing, and strategizing for the next (non-business) moves.
Customers and clients. Nothing that takes energy away from serving the customer is probably going to end well. The ill effects of internal drama always affect the customer. In some of the worst cases the drama becomes about the customer. A loss most businesses can’t afford.
Reputation and growth. Most organizations aren’t designed to plateau, the plan is for growth. While all the drama is taking its toll on the energy and excitement of progress, the organization becomes stuck or stalled. Worse, it might begin to decline.

Avoid the Costs

Drama might be entertainment in the movies or on reality television. Workplace drama likely has a cost that you want to avoid.

How your organization defines itself is based on culture. Culture is based on the ideologies and behaviors of its people and the decisions that are made.

Drama is a choice.

– DEG

Dennis E. Gilbert is a business consultant, speaker (CSP^TM), and corporate trainer that specializes in helping businesses and individuals accelerate their leadership, their team, and their success. He is a four-time author and some of his work includes, Forgotten Respect, Navigating A Multigenerational Workforce and Pivot and Accelerate, The Next Move Is Yours! Reach him through his website at Dennis-Gilbert.com or by calling +1 646.546.5553.

Dennis Gilbert on Google+

Tag Archives: efficiency

May 21

-

Setting Pace

Time Efficiency

Mar 21

-

Workplace Uptime

Mar 21

-

Energize Daily

Jan 21

-

Old Photos and Bicycles are Culture

Sep 20

-

Does Busy Matter?

Workplace Efficiencies

Oct 19

-

Picking Low-Hanging Fruit

Meeting Problems

May 17

-

Workplace Drama

Avoid the Costs

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