By Monique Valcour
IS your work time—or your team’s—taken up by mandatory tasks that have no discernible value?
Since illegitimate tasks often arise because of how work is organized, that’s a good place to start. Here are some decluttering strategies:
- Audit your team’s tasks. Ask team members to estimate how much time they spend on each task—and for what purpose. Also ask whether anybody handles a task that undermines his ability to perform well or to contribute to the team.
- Work with your team to reduce or eliminate unnecessary tasks. Solicit your team’s suggestions, and then work with them to implement solutions. Improving communication and granting greater autonomy can help to reduce inefficiencies.
- Advocate for your team. Shield your team by pushing back against organizational conditions that promote useless tasks, including unfair procedures for allocating resources. Insist on better information when your team receives unclear or conflicting directives from above. Advocate for the resources your team needs to accomplish them.
- Solicit feedback about your own managerial behavior. Periodically, ask your team members for examples of what you do that helps—or hinders—their performance.
- Mitigate any illegitimate work that remains. If you can identify worthy outcomes for seemingly unworthy tasks, highlight them for your team. Approaching those tasks with a sense of humor can go a long way toward easing your team’s frustration.
Monique Valcour is an executive coach.