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Reality Check: Doing More With Less?
The Question:
The messages from the top of my organization are "do more with less." I was overworked before the economic crisis hit, and now it is even worse. I don't see how it is possible to achieve this commandment and keep up a level of quality I am committed to. Also, having two kids and a wife that I want to spend time with, but also need to support, is emphasizing my need to keep this job! Leaving is not an option. -- How to stay alive, doing more with less
[Send your leadership questions to leadership@washingtonpost.com, or post them in the "comments" section below]
Dear Staying Alive:
Leadership is about making tough choices and helping others do the same. And you certainly have got some tough choices in front of you right now.
Your problem cannot be decided on the basis of a cost-benefit analysis; it is not about the facts. It is tough because at least four of your core values are in conflict: financial security for your family, time with your wife and kids, pride in the quality of your performance, and being a loyal soldier in your firm. All of those values are noble and important, but you cannot honor them all equally in this situation.
Your first step is to reality check. Make sure there are not some technical steps you could take to manage your work load better. For example, there may be some long-postponed efficiencies you could introduce that could help without costing anyone too much.
Then try and assess whether your job will really be on the line if you do not meet the "do-more-with-less" imperative. Perhaps it is more an aspiration than a performance metric and your anxiety is just raising the stakes in your own mind. But if you know deep down that your diagnosis is on target -- that you're being asked to compromise quality and work/life balance -- then proceed to step two.
Engage those around you. This is not just your decision to make in isolation. Your family, your boss, your subordinates and your peers are part of the problem, will be affected by whatever you do, and might like to be part of whatever steps you take next. Listen to them and learn from them. Get a sense of what they care about the most.
Does your boss really want you to sacrifice family time when you are under such stress? Do your wife and kids really want you there more even if it means putting your job at risk? Are your peers in the same situation? Are your subordinates feeling at the edge of their rope, or are they willing to put in even more to help the firm through this moment? Learning where they are, what they care about the most, and how they are ordering the value conflicts they are facing, will help you enrich your diagnosis of what you are up against.
Use this process to begin to get some clarity on how you prioritize those four values (and maybe others I have missed) in your current circumstance. When you have that clarity, you can begin to devise a strategy to honor your number one value. Then you can figure out what courageous conversations you need to have, what allies you need to enlist, and what experiments you need to run in order to, as best you can, honor your most deeply felt commitments.
Here's an example of how it can work in real life. I have a dear friend with four children, still in middle and high school, who recently lost his very big job (and most of his 401k.) He faced the choice of moving to another state for a job that would allow him and his family to maintain their lifestyle or staying in their community with a different lifestyle and accepting an uncertain financial future.
Not surprisingly, my friend's wife and children said they didn't want to move, no matter what. But as they all talked more about it, it became clear they had other priorities that were more important than the priority they first verbalized about staying put. Once my friend got more color on the fears and aspirations of his family, he was better poised to think about what compromises he could make.
With the help of his family, he decided to move, but as he approached his potential new employer he had more focus and attention than before. He proposed some conditions well beyond what they preferred (vacation time, retirement) but within their capacity to deliver.
It was a long and difficult process, but the effort he put in to understanding his own values and those of the other key players enabled him to devise a strategy for making progress, resolving his quandary and minimizing the losses that any one group would have to take. He never knew until it all came together that everyone would stay in the game.
No one said this would be easy. But leadership is an experimental art. Being this thoughtful and deliberate about what you are doing is painstaking work. For you, the effort up front will be worthwhile because the stakes are so high.
[Send your leadership questions to leadership@washingtonpost.com, or post them in the "comments" section below]
By
Cambridge Leadership Associates
|
August 13, 2009; 1:23 PM ET |
Category:
Career Management
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Next: Leading a Dysfunctional Family Foundation
Posted by: PalmSpringsGirl | August 24, 2009 6:02 PM
Like I tell my children, 'Life is full of choices." "The choices you make every day have consequences for you the rest of your life...everything from what you put into your mouth, to what you choose to do with the same 24 hours every one else gets."
At least, this philosophy used to mean something in America....it only applies if you believe in personal accountability.
As a family entrenched in delivering health care, we all sacrifice for the healing of complete strangers. While my children's father will rarely get to participate in Little League or their dance recitals, it is my job to honor and hold their father up for the outstanding man that he is. My children are being raised understanding the reality of what living a contribution to society means. They will make choices in reaction to their reality.
If there is one thing for certain, life has never been, nor ever will be easy. Learning to appreciate the moments of the here and now is a life skill, and I am convinced it takes a lifetime to perfect.
Posted by: factsmatter1 | August 18, 2009 4:34 PM
My grandfather had to take a traveling salesman job during the Depression to support his family. For quite a few years, my dad rarely saw him, and this influenced his whole life in bad ways.
I'd urge anyone who is on the horns of a dilemma between employer and family to think very hard before deciding to simply give in to the employer. Maintaining an elevated life style is not worth scarring your kids for life.
Posted by: Anne_W | August 18, 2009 8:42 AM
Doing more with less has been a cry for a long time and no doubt would have increased since the GFC. It is not possible and the only thing that happens is that leaders get burnout. From my experience of working with executives, it does not increase productivity or profits, rather the opposite.
Merydith Willoughby
Posted by: IBCoaching | August 18, 2009 5:06 AM
This sounds more like a general directive rather than one aimed at the person with the question. So I would simply ask the boss about your performance and if they feel it's satisfactory.
Posted by: cmecyclist | August 18, 2009 4:36 AM
I have been an admin to many high-powered executives over my long career. When there were more than one "urgent" item that had to be taken care of at the same time, I always asked the Boss - "What is YOUR priority?" That made him/her decide what was really important to them and the company. The Boss had to stop and think what was most important. I couldn't decide because I didn't always know the total picture - but he/she did! What might seem important to me might not be that important to the Boss. Every executive that I ever worked with was happy that I asked instead of going off on my own. And, I think, it shows repect to the Boss.