As a business leader, I wonder how you plan to spend your time at work. Perhaps if you were to draw this out, it might look like:
But is that the reality for you? Or does how you actually spend your time look more like this:
If you are finding that most of your time is spent on problem solving, you may have an operational health issue.
If so, you may have an operational health issue – people tied up in admin tasks, inefficient processes and disparate technology can all contribute to time and energy being diverted away from what matters most.
If you suspect you might be suffering from poor operational health, here are some things you can do:
✅ Draw out your key processes – seeing them mapped out will give you a sense of where the blockages are
✅ Identify which of your tasks are not adding any value and get rid of them – trackers, hard copy paperwork, reporting activity, approval routes can all be sources of inefficiency
✅ Use your systems as a customer would – you might be surprised at what you are putting your (internal or external) customers through
✅ Give your people permission to try out better ways of doing their own work – you might be surprised by the untapped insight and wisdom available.
Cara Halliwell is the Director of CE Change Ltd, a consultancy that specialises in helping businesses solve their people, process and technology challenges. For further information about the services we offer, click here.
