Don't Multitask

If, on reading this headline, your first response was “If I don’t multitask, how do I get through my long and varied To Do list?”, then read on.

If you switch regularly snd swiftly between tasks, or even worse, try to do two things at one, (like handle your emails while in a meeting), you simply switch your focus too often, ruin your concentration on any one task and show little respect for others you are dealing with.  This is not a recipe for effective and productive work.  

Of course you need to address a variety of tasks but you need to work on any one task for sufficient time to remain familiar with all the contextual information and give strong focus to the current steps in your process of handling this task.    

This is why you should not have too many task on your ToDo list.  If you cannot give this level of focus to each task in turn ,there are too many on your list. You need to delegate some tasks or negotiate with others (including your boss) to reduce the number to a level where you can give full focus to each and deliver quality outcomes.

Then you have to schedule your day to provide periods when you can give full concentration to tasks in turn.  

This presupposes that you know what you want to achieve.from your workday - and you understand the key priorities for your focus of attention.

I know that the above is not necessarily a simple process but if you don’t address the problem, your ToDo list will get longer and the quality of your work will deteriorate.

Crisis, What Crisis?

Media pundits love to talk about the productivity crisis.  (Well, let’s be honest, they love to talk about any crisis…. and if there isn’t a crisis to talk about, they will invent one.)

The productivity crisis isn’t really a crisis.  The decline and stagnation in productivity has been a general factor in the Western world for the last decade. There are lots of reasons suggested and causes put forward but as we said last week, it is is too easy to blame the workforce - or to assign it to any one of a host of external factors.

The real reason for the productivity decline (take a deep breath here) is a lack of bold leadership over a significant time period.  One off the problems of the Western approach to business ownership and to government is its focus on the next 5 years as a maximum planning horizon.

Governments must achieve whatever they set out to do - or at least whatever they promise to do - before the next election

Business executives have a much lesser time period; they are forced into concentrating on the next quarter’s profits.  If these are down, the share price may tank- and with it, the executive’s bonus.

This is no recipe for infrastructure investment by government or business process investment by companies.

We need leaders that are willing to explain to their citizens, or their shareholders, why they intend to take longer-term decisions and make longer-term plans.  They then need the courage of their convictions to set in train the long-term actions that will ensure these plans are implemented successfully. 

If we have a crisis now, it is a crisis of leadership.

And just remind you,  it was not, and indeed is not, always thus.  

Quite a few countries with an authoritarian regime do take a longer-term view because they do not fear the electorate.

Even democratic Victorians made lots of profits but built lots of infrastructure - railways, roads, sewage systems and so on.  Without this infrastructure, we would not have had the industrial revolution.

So, leaders - stand up, take deep breath, look at a calendar rather then your current diary and start to formulate a longer view.

We might just avert ‘the crisis’. 

Breaking out of the SpirL

 Poor, and declining, national productivity is a serious malaise.  Not only does it mean that inflation is likely to rise  - as wage rises lead to increased costs without corresponding output rises - but investment also declines).

It seems ironic that firms invest more when things are going well but they do -and it’s not really very surprising.

So successful countries can benefit from a virtuous spiral while unsuccessful countries continue to decline.

It seems, obvious that those unsuccessful countries need to find a way to breakout of their downward spiral of low investment and resulting low productivity.

This clearly needs government action to stimulate growth.  However the steps to do this are not always clear.

The US has shown us a possible path.  The Biden government, under the inflation reduction measures, made huge investment in infrastructure development.

This does two things. It directly stimulates growth in specific sectors- like construction and allied supply chains; it also provides an improved infrastructure which can benefit other sectors- improved communication, improved transport links, improved employee skills, etc.

(Ironically for Joe Biden, he is unlikely to gain the benefit(in terms of recognition of his ’legacy’ The incoming president will likely take all the credit having spent the last couple of years talking dwn the economy, which has actually been in rude health.)

The NEW UK government does not seem to have learnt the lesson.  Their initial economic steps seem to have reduced the ability, and the willingness, of UK firms to invest in growth - and so far they have not made real progress on, or even plans for, infrastructure development.

It is not easy to break out of the spiral of decline. but to fail to learn such an obvious and recent lesson seems like carelessness at the very least.

Use Imtelligence Before Using AI

AI is certainly ‘the next big thing’ with many claiming it as a transformational tool.  Whether it is or not, only time - and productivity statistics - will tell.

However, the sheer volume of publicity being given to AI means that most organisations should be aware of AI’s capabilities and potential.

Before you go running to sign up for an account with one of the providers of AI software or services, take the time to think - and to research.  Read about AI and what it does (or at least might do).  Also try to understand what it doesn’t do - yet!

If you start experimenting too soon, you might go down a lot of blind alleys - and make a lot of U-turns.

Do you have so much spare time at the moment that you can afford to fill it with failed experiments?  You might not be wasting money (since many of the tools and services are free for initial trials) but you could be wasting your valuable time. This is especially true of the free tools and services which might have constraints which make them very limited.. 

So think carefully and smartly - about what you want AI to do for you. In what parts of your work, or your organisation’s activities, might its potential be most valuable - and where might it be most easily implemented.

Determine what you might improve and in what kind of timescale - and what the returns might be.  Then you can take an informed decision about the level of effort and investment that is sensible. 

Temper your enthusiasm for artificial intelligence with real intelligence. 

Set Goals at the Rightr Level

Organisational strategies obviously work at the corporate level - they are overarching, sometimes summed up as BHAGs - Big, Hairy, Audacious Goals.

Such goals are useful in expressing the longer term direction for, and aims of, the organisation but they must be translated to make them fit for shorter term planning.  Those within the organisation must know if they are on the right track to achieve these longer-term BHAGS.

Leaders have to create action plans which  teams and individual workers can execute - and they should create short-term targets to motivate and drive action in the right direction.  These shorter-term goals also fix actions in a particular timeframe, consistent with achieving the longer term goals.

Of course if there are too many goals people can get confused - and if every goal is given a high priority, people are unsure as to where they put the greatest effort.

So any organisation needs strategy and execution. Strategy ensures the organisation does the right things but good (effective) execution ensures those  right things actually get done. 

An organisation that also has higher productivity as part of its fabric will attempt to make execution efficient as well as effective.

So, we need strategy,’ we need effective and efficient execution - and we end up with a high performing organisation that achieves its longer term objectives.  

A key element of this process is to have a series of cascading goals that translate the overall mission (and associated BHAGs) into end points and way points that individuals and teams know they have to meet to keep the organisation on track.

Which decisions?

Clearly industry leaders havre difficult decisions to make at particular times and under particular circumstances.   At all times, these difficult decisions should be informed by the overarching organisational mission and strategic plan.

However, we are particularly interested in the productivity of the organisation.  So where should this figure in the decision-making?

The answer is very simple …. EVERYWHERE.

Whenever a decision is taken, those taking it should be aware of the effect of different choices or actions on organisational productivity.   Though for short periods, an organisation may prioritise another factor, such as market share, no organisation  can forget the importance of productivity for very long without heading for trouble. 

Only raising productivity leads to higher sustainable profits.   If productivity does not rise, higher output or income will be countered by rising inflation.

i.e. the rising costs will exceed the rising income.

So. the concept of productivity should be constantly at the forefront of strategic thinking.

Set Goals at the Right Level

Organisational strategies obviously work at the corporate level - they are overarching, sometimes summed up as BHAGs - Big, Hairy, Audacious Goals.

Such goals are useful in expressing the longer term direction for, and aims of, the organisation but they must be translated to make them fit for shorter term planning.  Those within the organisation must know if they are on the right track to achieve these longer-term BHAGS.

Leaders have to create action plans which  teams and individual workers can execute - and they should create short-term targets to motivate and drive action in the right direction.  These shorter-term goals also fix actions in a particular timeframe, consistent with achieving the longer term goals.

Of course if there are too many goals people can get confused - and if every goal is given a high priority, people are unsure as to where they should put the greatest effort.

So any organisation needs strategy and execution. Strategy ensures the organisation does the right things but good (effective) execution ensures those  right things actually get done. 

An organisation that also has higher productivity as part of its fabric will attempt to make execution efficient as well as effective.

So, we need strategy,’ we need effective and efficient execution - and we end up with a high performing organisation that achieves its longer term objectives.  

A key element of this process is to have a series of cascading goals that translate the overall mission (and associated BHAGs) into end points and way points that individuals and teams know they have to meet to keep the organisation on track.