Some people get stuff done
You know people like this. Doers. Winners. People who are not just efficient, but they are also effective. When they say they will get it done, #$@!, you might as well consider it done.
Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful committed individuals can change the world. In fact, it’s the only thing that ever has. – Margaret Meade
Winners are often super busy
Of course they are busy. They are in high demand; everyone wants their time. “Be on MY team, please.”
Sure but some “busy” is different
This has been said a dozen different way by people smarter than me:
Do not mistake activity for achievement – Isocrates
Most people get ahead during the time that others waste – Henry Ford
Management is doing things right; leadership is doing the right things – Peter Drucker
There is nothing so useless as doing efficiently that which should not be done at all – Peter Drucker
The ways to look busy are endless. Mindless meetings, email jockeying, formating and reformatting reports. Research on vague topics, and administrating something. Everyone says they are busy, but in reality, the pareto principle is alive-and-well in corporate America. No question, 20% of the people drive 80% of the results.
If you want to get something done . . . give it to someone who is busy
People who are busy (and effective) can really cut through the clutter, and get the most important things done. They don’t try to do everything, they do what is critical-to-quality (CTQ). What needs to get done, gets done.
Characteristics of “these” winners?
A lot of people SAY they are busy. What are these winners really like? What makes them so effective?
1) They qualify the request
These folks are not suckers. They do not naively just say yes to everything. They scope out the problem and put boundaries on it. Before saying yes, they ask, “Is this something I should be doing? Are you dumping this on me?”
- What does success look like?
- What is the progress so far? What is keeping it from getting done?
- Who is the decision maker? Who else counts in this equation?
- When is it due? What are the immediate next steps?
- When does my part end, and who do I hand it off to?
2) They push back on assumptions
Too often, we accept the status quo as inevitable. Not true. Just because she said it needs to be done this way, DOES NOT mean that is necessarily true. Challenge assumptions:
- Hmm, I am not the expert here, but seems like it is ABC. . .
- Okay, but wouldn’t we save a lot of time is he just ABC?
- Right, so without seeming rude, why didn’t you just do it?
- . . . right, but without her buy-in, this is gonna fail, right?
- What is we call a quick meeting, and then decide ABC, would that work?
They are willing to control scope creep. It’s all about managing expectations.
3) They solve problems through people
They have contacts and know who to call to get help solving the problem. Often, the most intractable problems are not ones which require MORE work, they require smarter (high-EQ) work. They are cross-functional issues which span silos:
- Who has access to the right data? Who can I call for a favor?
- Which SME’s can give me “the scoop” on this issue?
- Who outside this organization can give me an outside-in perspective?
4) They like to win, like to be appreciated
The more you tell them that it is difficult, that no one was able to do it, the more they want to be the heroine that can. Dare them. Double dare them. They EAT THIS STUFF UP. Remember, the head of McKinsey said the best consultants were super smart people who were a little insecure. BOOM. Firefighters get their reputation for a reason. They put out fires.
5) They get permission for give you less
By the time you give it to this “fixer”, you are a little bit desperate. You are willing to get by with a painless B/B-. You are not looking for an A with gold-lining. Get it done. This plays nicely into the busy person’s position. They are allowed to be a little bossy. They are allowed to step on a few toes, and get #$)*& done.
- That assumption of XYZ seems to be the bottleneck, do we REALLY need to have that?
- Question, isn’t this the same problem as last year, except for ABC?
They don’t spend 300 hours finishing the job for you. No, they spend 5 hours sketching out the answer, and giving you some pointed suggestions. You buy into that, and they do another 15 hours putting the plan together. You say good, and then they put another 25 hours and say they are finished. You accept. They put in 45 hours, then you thought it would take 450 hours. Nope, there’s often a semi-answer in 1/10th of the time.
- If I gave you ABC with +/- 20% variability around the answer, are you okay with that?
6) They prioritize like crazy
Busy people prioritize. Ask anyone who is raising 3 kids under the age of 6. No gantt chart will do justice to a mom-on-the-run. It’s all about sorting activities into 1) Now 2) Later 3) Never. Put a lot in #3.
Everyone knows the 80/20 rule. 80% of the outputs come from 20% of the inputs. 20% of the superstars drive 80% of the revenue and the results. 20% of your workday is 80% of the goodness. It’s a non-linear world. Give the ball to the running back who will lovingly get it to the end-zone for a touchdown.
7) They iterate; OODA loop
OODA Loop is something from the military. Observe, Orient, Decide, Act. This is the classic scenario in Top Gun (affiliate link), where Tom Cruise is in a dog-fight with Viper. Constantly observing, orienting, deciding, and acting. Busy achievers are continually in a OODA loop. They know what is important, prioritize, and act.