Peak Performance
It’s A Wired, Tired World
By Roxanne Emmerich, CSP, CMC

What’s the No. 1 factor that contributes to employee productivity? The department’s management style. Consider these two very different managers:

Jim was the bank manager for five years. He arrived at 6:45 each morning and left at 7:00 each evening, sometimes later. Lunchtime consisted of him eating take-out at his desk as he pored over various reports.

Although Jim never verbally demanded that his staff mimic his hours, they did. His entire staff always arrived by 7:00 a.m., and they often didn’t leave until after he did. If employees went home for dinner, they often left their jackets, hoping it looked as if they were still in the building, working. Everyone in the office felt the unwritten but assumed policy that “the one who can work the hardest without dropping, wins!”

When Jim burned out and left, Sam replaced him. Sam was a complete opposite of Jim. On any given day, Sam could be heard touting his motto: “If you can’t get your work done in eight hours, something’s wrong.” Sam lived by that belief and quickly ingrained it into his staff. Within six weeks of Sam’s tenure as manager, people resumed normal eight-hour workdays—and productivity soared.

People thrived again.

Take a look at any manager or management team and you’ll quickly learn that the old saying “Do as I say, not as I do” never works. The reality is that no matter what a manager says,   employees will watch what is done and follow that path. If a manager checks e-mail while on   vacation and doesn’t restore her creativity and perspective, her direct reports will feel the pressure to do the same. Likewise, if a manager works absurd hours and denies himself the opportunity to take time for his life, it sends a message to his employees that it is mandatory for everyone to work similar hours if they are to keep their jobs and if they want any hope of advancement. Unfortunately, in both these instances, the managers and employees will learn the same lesson: No rejuvenation leads to the path of least productivity. 

As a manger, what message do you want to convey? If you lead by example and work long hours, you’ll get more of that, but long hours won’t necessarily mean more productivity. So what’s the solution?

The Wired World of No Escape

Managers frequently say, “My people work hard, but they don’t get great results.” This phrase shows what dire straights our business world is in. 

In today’s fast-paced work environment (where every person can be trailed), there is virtually no way to escape the managers like Jim, who judge people’s productivity by their hours as opposed to their results. While they’re committed and willing to let voice mail and e-mail become a constant intrusion into their personal lives, they’re unable to produce the stellar results their company is looking for. When a manager like Jim is on vacation and constantly calls in and checks his e-mail, his inability to let go and let those he trained take over sets a base-level requirement for those who report to him.

However, in this wired world of no escape, it’s never been more necessary to run for the sun. One top business coach who works exclusively with people who have annual incomes of more than $1 million bases his work on the premise that days must be labeled and kept to their intended use. The three labels he uses are “focus days,” “free days,” and “buffer days.” Here’s how they work:

A focus day is when you keep your entire focus on those activities that bring the most value to the organization and that best use your unique abilities. It’s a day to focus on the big picture items or on work that’s in your specialty. Salespeople, for example, should only make high-level sales calls on their focus days and not do paperwork or get caught up in returning phone calls. Those tasks are for the support staff during focus days. 

A free day is just that. For 24 hours, you don’t answer e-mails or return phone calls. The point is to completely get away from the concentrated energy of a focus day and the minutia of a buffer day. By simply returning one phone call on a free day, you bring your brain back to work and don’t get the necessary rejuvenation you need to ignite your creativity and restore your zest for fresh ideas about work.

The third type of day that needs to be planned is the buffer day. The intention for buffer days is to handle day-to-day work activities, like phone calls, short-term to-do items, and all the other projects that need to be handled. An adequate number of buffer days allows you to have productive focus days where you can center on the most important work you do—sales calls for lenders, working on a big project for managers, etc. With good buffer days, free days are completely free for 24 hours at a time and focus days are completely devoted to work that brings you the best return. 

Breaking the Wired and Tired Dilemma

So, what can you do if you have a manager like Jim—one who checks e-mail while on vacation and works long hours? Deep down, you know you’d add more value to the company if you could have time to refresh and bring all your creativity, passion, and skills to the table each day, but you feel that if you don’t follow the “culture” of the organization, you won’t be promoted or get a raise. How do you get out from this no-win situation that will eventually lead to pain, regardless of whether you ignore it or follow it?

First, teach your manager. Yes, managers are coachable. Understand that your manager’s goal is to make sure that the investment the company has in you is returned several times over. That’s the bottom line. Let your manager know that you understand this and that it’s your goal too. 

Next, let your manager know how you work at your peak. For example, you might say, “I perform at my best when I am given clear direction and am held to monthly goals,” or “I get the most work done when I am self-directed, yet following a pre-designed plan.”

Acknowledge that you feel guilty leaving earlier than your manager, but let it be known that it is how you work at your best (if   this is indeed the case).

Believe it or not, veering slightly from the culture is not a hindrance for most managers. What managers really dislike is when people don’t fit the culture AND don’t perform. Therefore, develop a plan (and share it with your manager) of how you are going to get results and perform at a high level. List specifics, such as the number of sales contacts you’ll make each week, the number of new accounts you plan to open, the number of mail pieces you will send and follow up with phone calls, etc. Make sure you can prove that your goals are beyond the average performance, that they stretch you, and that you’re up for the challenge.

For example, if you are a mortgage lender, you can tell your manager you realize that when someone calls to request a mortgage rate quote and you simply give the rate, you only have a 20 percent chance of getting that person’s business. However, when you reveal that you have a strategized list of questions to ask that engage the shopper, such as “Are you looking for the best rate or the best value? Because they’re often not the same.” you show your manager that you have a system that works. By demonstrating that your new system helps you   capture more than 75 percent of inquiries, your manager will never want you to lose your creative energy.

While your manager will likely be ecstatic with your well thought out plan, he or she may be fearful that if you work less time, so will everyone else—but they won’t have a plan to follow. Address this fear directly and suggest ways to make subtle exits that won’t hinder your performance or annoy your coworkers.

Smart Solutions Yield Great Results

These are the times that require a strong commitment to creative solutions. Working harder—or more—simply isn’t the answer. There are an infinite number of ways people can work smarter, from the use of technology to the systematized use of sales processes. The higher the results we demand from our colleagues and employees, the more important the need for them to rejuvenate, refresh, and relax. After all, if the concept of free, uninterrupted time works for million-dollar producers, it probably couldn’t hurt for the rest of us too.