It’s been a busy few weeks – juggling multiple deadlines and tasks, all seemingly top priority and all needed yesterday.
It reminded me of the old in-tray exercise – once a staple of job interviews and assessment centres.
If you ever went through a recruitment process in years gone by, you might remember it. You’d be handed a pile of papers and asked to prioritise them under time pressure. It was all about how you handled competing demands in a structured, time-limited way… sounding familiar?!
Fast-forward to today, and perhaps it should be renamed… The inbox exercise… or even the Slack exercise (although this might send the wrong message, thinking about it).
The technology may have changed, but the time pressure remains. In fact, arguably it’s worse.
These days it seems most of us now face a never-ending stream of emails, messages, and notifications. There are so many, in fact, that the real challenge isn’t completing everything on time, but finding the important stuff before it vanishes onto Page 2, or needing the dreaded scroll, of the inbox and hence into near oblivion… with the only possibility of finding later is with the use of PhD level search skills!
All of this got me thinking more broadly about work, career, and the skills we prioritise.
Often, much of our focus in our work lives is on acquiring knowledge and technical skills. They are, after all, important, tangible, and we get certificates!
In our world today, we seem to like simple models, those we can easily measure and optimise… more badges of achievement equals better employees or more success, we think.
However, life is rarely this simple, and often these simple models are not enough… yes, the past achievements may get you noticed, but they can’t guarantee you joining the group, getting an opportunity or being promoted.
It is not the badge itself that is important, but something more fundamental is needed too… a mindset… being useful.
- How can I help the business run more smoothly?
- How can I make my manager’s life easier? How can I help them succeed?
- What can I do that others avoid? What can I offer that others can’t?
- How can I help my employees succeed?
It is a mindset and a phrase that really works. A question that strips away ego and a focus on achievements of the past, to what needs to be done today… working out where you can best fit in.
Of course, this also goes both ways, this is not just about taking or giving orders, far from it. It is about finding the best spots to contribute, employees to grow, and to help each other succeed.
All of this seems a far cry from the days of that in-tray exercise, although what is true today was most likely true then too. Things change… but not always as much as we like to think, I suppose.
Have a good ‘useful’ week, everyone.
