Are You Wasting Time? (Wendy Samson and Curt Swenson, 2016)
From the time you were a little child, you have known the things you are good at and those that you are not. If you sat down right now, you would most likely be able to write down the three things that you have always been able to do quickly and organically and the three things that you have always struggled with doing well. Think about math, spelling, making friends, sticking up for yourself, sports, working with your hands, innovating – you get the picture!
With only so many hours in the day at work, and with productivity and profit on the line, we still need to identify our top talents and abilities, in order to bring our best to our organizations. We need to not waste time on efforts that don’t reap the greatest rewards. It is truly a matter of looking at our work life through the lens of the Pareto Principle (1896), otherwise known as the 80/20 Rule.
Is 80% of your worklife spent doing the things that you love, the things that you are especially gifted at and, those things that make your tail wag?
This ratio of 80/20 is important because we also all have to realize that with every job comes some level of work that we don’t particularly enjoy – that is why it is called work! However, making sure that your split never drops below 70/30, will keep you highly engaged and will ensure good outcomes for your organization.
Employees: If you sense that you are dropping below your optimal operating percentage, go talk to your supervisor or your human resources person. Let them know that you are experiencing some disengagement. They will want to work with you to get you back on track. They don’t want to lose you, so be bold and have that engagement conversation.
Supervisors: Ask your team members the following questions during your “pulse checking rounds”: What are the three things that you bring to the table and uniquely contribute to this organization? What are you so good at that you could train the rest of us to do it? Which part of your job is intrinsically motivating? Do you have enough of that work? By allowing people to do what they do best, time is not wasted and everyone, especially your business and your customers – will win.