There is a haunting quote from Edward Deming that one of the saddest things in business is to "do with great efficiency that which ought not be done at all." Too often, our time and efforts are mis-directed and wasted.
This week I had a conversation with one of those wonderful people who truly loves her work and has succeeded in building a business around her core talents and values. Unfortunately, she's doing more and more of it, while earning less and less.
Like many professionals and managers, she is caught-up in the joys and details of her work, and has forgotten to measure the bottom-line.
In professional offices, this can happen when the boss is so focused on excellence in their profession that they forget to manage the business. One of my most common coaching scenarios is the passionate professional (Attorney, Architect, whatever) who loves their work, but needs help running the business. They may be the best professional in town, but their business is floundering.
It happens in larger enterprises where policies and procedures or traditions have taken on a life of their own. Employees (and the boss) end up doing their jobs and working very hard, but not necessarily growing the business or serving the customer in the best possible way. Over time it's a recipe for frustration and ultimately, failure.
Whenever we forget to focus on our most important RESULTS, we run the risk of working hard on things that "ought not be done at all."
By Philip Humbert
This week I had a conversation with one of those wonderful people who truly loves her work and has succeeded in building a business around her core talents and values. Unfortunately, she's doing more and more of it, while earning less and less.
Like many professionals and managers, she is caught-up in the joys and details of her work, and has forgotten to measure the bottom-line.
In professional offices, this can happen when the boss is so focused on excellence in their profession that they forget to manage the business. One of my most common coaching scenarios is the passionate professional (Attorney, Architect, whatever) who loves their work, but needs help running the business. They may be the best professional in town, but their business is floundering.
It happens in larger enterprises where policies and procedures or traditions have taken on a life of their own. Employees (and the boss) end up doing their jobs and working very hard, but not necessarily growing the business or serving the customer in the best possible way. Over time it's a recipe for frustration and ultimately, failure.
Whenever we forget to focus on our most important RESULTS, we run the risk of working hard on things that "ought not be done at all."
By Philip Humbert
