Simply putting in big hours does not cut it. Time spent at a task is not a proxy for productivity, never will be. The individuals in any organisation that compete for the status as being the last to leave each day, do not always represent the most effective. My brother once joked about his concern that if his CEO’s car broke down on the down ramp in their car park there would be an almighty accident. All those who waiting for the CEO to leave for the day, would simply crash into rear end of his car. The real stars are those who bring high levels of energy (and of course competence) to the most important tasks. Tony Schwartz and Jim Loehr in their book The Power of Full Engagement argue if you start matching your energy to your task it is the key to excelling. “Every one of our thoughts, emotions, and behaviours has an energy consequence,” they write.  “The ultimate measure of our lives is not how much time we spend on the planet, but rather how much energy we invest in the time that we have.” A BBC report from a few years ago referenced research that found the top 10% of employees within a technology organisation that had the highest productivity didn’t put in longer hours than anyone else – often they didn’t even work eight-hour days. Instead, the key to their productivity was that for every 52 minutes of focused work, they took a 17-minute break. They re-charged. One thing COVID has opened up for individuals is the opportunity to work from home, and around zoom meetings create their own work rhythm. Building highly focused bursts interspersed with timely breaks has never been more accessible. The smart ones may well be having an early afternoon siesta. No one is judging. Whatever the strategy, the question top of mind should be how am I managing my energy and am I applying it to the most important tasks. How effectively do I focus systematically on activities that offer the most long-term leverage? The length of the break to re-charge is less important than the quality. It is possible to get a great deal of recovery in a short time—as little as several minutes—if it allows you to disengage from work and truly change channels. Personally, I have always tried to create the opportunity for physically activity in the middle of the day. A lunch time gym visit, swim or run has the effect of making you feel you are starting your day over again. Totally re-charged. Finally, I was once coaching an executive who believed they personally had a ‘big tank’. Yes, they had lots and lots of get up and go. But it was not endless. It had to be managed. Regardless of your natural disposition, one has to always ponder if you are optimising the effective use of the significant energy that has been gifted. There is much to be gained by monitoring and managing

  As they say, it takes a bullshit artist to know one. Where do you rank? The book “Bullshit Jobs” (Simon & Schuster), by David Graeber, raises some interesting perspectives on the sheer number of jobs that exist that add no real value and are essentially meaningless (and for many soul destroying). He talks about “duct tapers” who are hired to patch or bridge major flaws that their bosses are too lazy or inept to fix systemically. He also argues that there are millions of people across the world — clerical workers, administrators, consultants, telemarketers, corporate lawyers, service personnel, and many others — who are toiling away in meaningless, unnecessary jobs, and they know it. Sometimes driven by inefficiencies and increasingly because businesses will not embrace relevant technology. The pandemic has been brilliant at putting a spot light on important roles – those in no way bullshit. Front-line workers in so many different forms have come to the fore. Health workers, supermarket staff, logistics workers, school teachers (albeit remotely), police and who ever got their role deemed ‘essential services’ by the Government. At one point it seemed whoever was making toilet paper were in our most treasured roles! Some of these roles perhaps do not get the recognition they deserve, and thanks to COVID for driving needed conversation about this. COVID has also been brilliant in raising big questions about the gig economy – is a bullshit job one with no security? And of course there is always the question, is any job (bullshit or otherwise) better than no job? Perhaps that is the motivation to Government for keeping Job Seeker payments so painfully low? However, if we move beyond these many philosophical questions and simply ponder what role can you play in eliminating bullshit jobs, there may be some immediate upside. Think about your own role. What tasks do you currently undertake that add no value? What would happen if you stopped? What processes could  you re-engineer to get rid of meaningless jobs that are the by-product of lazy work-arounds? How can you build more meaning for yourself and others by developing a greater sense of purpose – ‘the why’ of what you do? How can ensure you are adopting viable technologies to free yourself or others from drudgery? How do you ensure people feel valued in their roles – recognition, security, fair rewards, etc? Frankly, if you are thinking bullshit jobs do not need to be on your radar, then you are thinking bullshit.

Becoming everything you are capable of becoming. A couple of further thoughts (see recent post) on Abraham Maslow’s concept of self-actualisation. A self-actualiser being someone who has the desire to realise one’s full potential. Leading to a rather grand outcome of becoming everything they are capable of becoming. Maslow contends that self-actualised individuals exhibit the following characteristics. Again an acknowledgement to the Positive Psychology web site for the summary of the characteristics. Italics represent a few of my observations. https://positivepsychology.com/self-actualization-tests-tools-maslow/ Acceptance and realism: persons are unthreatened, unfrightened by the unknown. they have a superior ability to reason, to see the truth. They are logical and efficient. Accept themselves, others and the natural world the way they are. However, while they are realistic they don’t place self-imposed limits on achieving things that are important to them. Spontaneity, Simplicity, Naturalness: Spontaneous in their inner life, thoughts and impulses, they are unhampered by convention. Their ethics is autonomous, they are individuals, and are motivated to continual growth. Personally I am attracted to the notion of unconventional as a precursor to shaping change – worth asking yourself when have you gone against the group think within your organisation? Problem Centering: Focus on problems outside themselves, other centered. They have a mission in life requiring much energy, their mission is their reason for existence. They are serene, characterised by a lack of worry, and are devoted to duty. Interesting, how many serene individuals do you encounter? Personally not many. But a sense of purpose beyond oneself is a great driver of positive energy. Detachment- The Need for Privacy: Alone but not lonely, unflappable, retain dignity amid confusion and personal misfortunes, objective. They are self-starters, responsible for themselves, own their behaviour. I understand the role of personal accountability embedded in this characteristic – but it almost implies not being a team player??Certainly since Maslow’s time in the sun, collaboration has become an important factor in value creation. Autonomy: Independent of Culture and Environment: rely on inner self for satisfaction. Stable in the face of hard knocks, they are self-contained, independent from love and respect. Again get the independence and self-contained attributes but when I think of my own quest for self-actualisation I find it difficult to be an outcome at the expense of love and respect. Continued Freshness of Appreciation: Have a fresh rather than stereotyped appreciation of people and things. Appreciation of the basic good in life, moment to moment living is thrilling, transcending and spiritual. They live the present moment to the fullest. Today we would see it as mindfulness at play. What can one say, grab it with both hands and an expansive mind! Peak experiences: The feeling of ecstasy and wonder and awe, the loss of placement in time and space with, finally, the conviction that something extremely important and valuable had happened. Again bring it on – but clearly it is also an outcome of truly knowing yourself, the goals you wish to tick off, the artistic expressions you embrace and frankly