Is the tail wagging the dog?
Prioritising workloads is a basic managerial process, but one we sometimes overlook until all of a sudden the systems are running you rather than you driving them. This is a quick lesson to give the dog back its smile, and ability to wag. Enjoy.
‘Priority’. Look up the meaning and we get this:
the fact or condition of being regarded or treated as more important than others.
As those of you who follow this newsletter know (and thank you for your encouraging support), we follow the Entrepreneurial Operating System (EOS) and other operational support techniques taken from the book Traction (more HERE).
One of the EOS features is to identify and discuss ‘issues’ at our fortnightly Leadership Team Meetings. It is a magic system. We address issues as they arise, and deal with them – job done.
Except, dealing with lateral issues may mean that particular job is done but at the expense of our individual daily functions, of which there are many.
The system begins to dominate and shift our attention in the wrong direction. Instead of the dog wagging its tail, the issues (tail) begins to wag the dog (us).
This in itself is an issue, an overriding issue. We were accumulating time-consuming ‘issues’ without prioritising them. Which are the essential operational issues and which are peripheral ideals … you know the sort of thing – in an ideal world this would be a nice nut to crack, but it can be put on hold until the world actual does become ideal.
In a busy Electrical Installation & Maintenance business, tomorrow’s utopian existence will have to wait until we deliver the 30 new POs that have just come in; or converted 20 more to POs from last week’s quotes; or pointed out a potential operational problem to a client that might arise if A doesn’t join up to Z, leading to (potentially) unacceptable power-outs (and of course to yet more quotes, approvals and urgent action to be taken to support them as a result).
So, what do we do?
EOS has shaped our management system massively, but we are letting it take control of us rather than use it as a tool to support us.
We have re-packaged the issues and actions, grouped by the individual with reporting responsibility in the sector they affect. Within each of these groups, we have prioritised those needing action now(ish) and those that can wait.
We are all highly responsible individuals in the Leadership Team, perfectly capable of ranking the tasks and affecting positive change as and when essential daily priorities allow.
We all have more than enough work to do, without creating more and more work to polish the brass on HMS Utopia, as opposed to sailing The Good Ship JGF and her crew away from choppy waters, to the exciting challenges of tomorrow.