Just Say No to Getting Wasted at Work

 

Although money is important, it's probably not the primary measure of whether or not someone is happy and satisfied in their chosen profession.

Most people, whether they are able to articulate it or not, want to add maximum value to whatever they do. I must admit, those days when I go home after accomplishing something worthwhile are very satisfying. I like what I do, I feel like I am contributing to something worthwhile, and that my time is not wasted.

I don't think I'm that unique. What's more, I believe the members of our project teams feel the same way. How often have you said, or heard someone else on the team say, "I hate wasting time on this," or "This is a waste of time," or "I don't feel like I've contributed anything worthwhile today."?

Sound familiar?

Regardless of the particular project management tools you use or the work management methodologies you employ, anything that can better align people to the right work at the right time will help your teams enjoy their job, gain satisfaction from whatever they are doing, and allow them to feel like they are really contributing to something bigger than themselves.

I don't think anyone likes to waste their time, even if they are being paid to do it. We spend so much energy trying to conserve our natural resource, it's puzzling to me why so many organizations insist on wasting their most precious resource—their people. Here are six tips to help you avoid wasting team members:

1. Make sure everyone has a clear understanding of what they should be doing: I know this sounds simple, but sometimes it's easier said than done. When people have to spend time figuring out what they should be doing, people are wasted.
2. Don't make it difficult for people to find documents or other project resources: When people have to hunt for the document or other project asset they should be working on, people are wasted.
3. Don't make it difficult for managers to see what their people are doing: When team leaders and managers have to spend time trying to figure out what their people are doing, people are wasted.
4. Don't spend entire days in meetings simply talking about work: If all you do is talk about work and never get around to doing the work, people are wasted.
5. Keep people focused on those initiatives that provide the most business value: When people spend time working on initiatives that don't provide the most value to the organization, people are wasted.
6. Streamline repetitive processes: When people spend time in repetitive process that could be streamlined or automated, people are wasted.

Project management practices and tools that don't help avoid these wasteful behaviors won't help organizations maximize the value of their employees. As project leaders, we should all be looking at the processes and methods we employ to manage work to see if we are contributing to frustration and waste or encouraging efficiency and empowering team members.

What are you doing to say no to getting wasted at work?