In the previous Surviving Work entry, I discussed the power of ownership, and the ability to better delegate, as well as increase quality of work life, through assignment of tasks to those who are willing to take responsibility for their success. The assumption there was that people, if given the appropriate choice, will make the right decision more often than not.

I want to write more about choices; the types of choices that we make every day. I want to write about how our understanding of the nature of choices can effect the decisions that we ultimately make, and how the decisions that we make when we are fully informed in regards to choice can, in due course, affect our productivity, our effectiveness, and our happiness at work.

First Law of Choice: You Always Have Choices

To start at the beginning, Dictionary.com defines the act of choosing, as “to select from a number of possibilities; or to pick by preference”. Obviously, most all of us would agree to this definition as suitably describing the act of making a choice. It sounds simple, and many examples that we use to describe making choices do so in such a way as to make the concept of choosing easy and allowable to accept.

For instance, The Girl asked me last Friday if I wanted to go out to eat. I was hungry, and so I told her that, yes, I would like to go out to eat. Just that quickly, probably without thinking, I made a choice. Eventually, we want to understand how those choices that we make in our work environment can help us to work more productively, efficiently, and happily. Initially, though, and most importantly, we must understand that we always have choices. Always.

How many times in conversation with someone have we heard them say, “I don’t have a choice”? Whether they’re speaking about projects or deadlines at work, strained personal relationships, or any other wayward commitment, people believe that their lives are filled and their time is consumed by events they ‘must’ participate in. These ‘must’ commitments often add unwanted and unnecessary stress to life, and that stress, or anxiety, or feeling of being overwhelmed robs us of the control that we have over our own lives. And this often happens with even the smallest of commitments. When the decisions become more important, the idea of ‘choice’ is often the first thing overlooked. But choice is always there.

I stumbled onto a rather appropriate analogy on the way to work this very morning as The Girl and I were discussing the topic. People often take a view of themselves and the course of their lives as that of a train riding down a track. You can’t change course, you can only stop for a while, every so often. In reality we’re like cars, able to turn off of the main road, in order to take the one less traveled.

For instance, take, as an example, a hypothetical commitment that we have recently made at work. Perhaps this commitment is a project, with a very tight deadline, that will require extended extra hours, and a serious focus on our part to complete. Originally, we were enthusiastic about the commitment, but now it’s causing us to put our personal life aside. Too many demands on our time are causing us to be overwhelmed, exhausted, and stressed out. And then we say to ourselves, “I don’t have a choice”. So we continue on with the commitment that we made, resigned to a fate that we think we can not change. But even our inaction is a choice, if only implied. Where we often fail is to stop looking for other choices once we come to this first, easiest, most obvious action of doing nothing. It’s only when we consider all of our choices though that we can make a truly informed decision.

Second Law of Choice: Be Aware of All Choices

Once we realize that we have do have a choice in every matter, regardless of situation, we must set out to determine exactly what those choices are. This is not as easy as you think. Most of us, most of the time make the easiest, most obvious decision without even considering alternatives, or the effects of those alternative choices. We put ourselves on a type of mental autopilot. For example, instead of deciding whether to wake up at the first buzz of an alarm in the morning, or to hit the snooze button, and roll back over, we act automatically. We act by force of habit. If we’re acting under good habits, then we make the right choice. But this isn’t always the case.

Let’s return to our example from above. Our hypothetical project is on a tight deadline, and we aren’t as enthusiastic about is as when we originally committed to it. We’re under quite a bit of stress, and have had to really put aside our personal life to try to complete the project. We say to ourselves, “If I want to complete this project, I need to work overtime. If I don’t, the project will fall behind deadline, and, who knows, I might be fired.” This is hypothetical, but we all might know someone who has experienced such a situation, it may even be us. Despite our contention that we don’t have a choice, based on the First Law above, we know realize that we do, in fact, have choices. But what are they?

The first, most obvious choice is to wok the overtime necessary to complete the project. You may do so with a rededicated commitment to the project, or you may do so with resistance and resentment, all the while stating that you have no choice in the matter, but it’s a choice just the same. A choice is a choice, whether you acknowledge it or not. When you choose to say “I don’t have a choice”, you are playing martyr to your original commitment and a victim to the circumstances that now surround it. Often, we stay with these commitments simply out of a sense of obligation, or integrity, or ‘have to’. But we don’t have to, and in making the choice to think as much, we’re giving the power and control of our life away to someone or something other than ourselves. We’ll likely feel stressed, overwhelmed, and, naturally, out of control. To choose to say “I don’t have a choice” is generally tiring and disempowering, and it ultimately creates a negative impact on your performance and your health. We can teach ourselves to not to fall into this easy trap by stopping ourselves whenever we begin to claim that we don’t have choices. If we remember that we do in fact have the freedom to choose, then we can ultimately consider all options available to us. And in our hypothetical situation, understanding all of our options, and actively choosing to work overtime to complete the project after all other choices have been considered, will have a more positive impact on our happiness and our health than if we passively choose to work overtime by not considering other options.

Always remember though to consider all options. After all, one choice is really no choice at all. However, two, three or more alternatives offer flexibility and provide you with the option of making the best possible choice.

Third Law of Choices: Be Responsible for Those Choices.

Once we’ve unearthed and made ourselves aware of all choices, we need to analyze those choices, and ultimately make a decision. In a perfect world, we decide which of the choices we are considering is most helpful to us, and we act on that choice.

What then becomes of our choices after we make them? Studies show that the biggest factor in employee satisfaction is the degree of control workers have over their jobs, assuming other factors such as salary and hours worked are within a normal range. In summary, we like feeling as if we have a choice as much, or more, than we like the actual choices that we end up making.

When we actively make our own choices, we manipulate cognitive dissonance in a way that is most beneficial to us. No matter what we choose, it seems like a better option than it really is because you we actively chose it. When we passively make choose to take no action, because we perceive a situation in which our choices are minimized, we give away the freedom and happiness of the decision making process, which makes us feel trapped, and powerless. To that end, when we make choices we must do so actively and we must take responsibility for the results of those choices if we intend to be truly satisfied and fulfilled by them.

How do we learn to actively make choices in a constructive way when we haven’t learned to do so in the past? Try this. When trying to make a choice between two options, take a coin, and assign one option to heads and one to tails. Flip the coin. If you’re open and honest with yourself, there will be a moment when the coin is in the air where you find yourself actively rooting for one result over the other. That’s your choice. Make it, and stick with it. If you can be honest with yourself about your innermost thoughts while that coin is in the air, then you should never have to look at the results of the flip.

In Conclusion

I’m a strong believer in the power of choice and in the ability of us as individuals to choose. It has been a topic of conversation for The Girl and I on our ride home from work, discussing our day at work, probably more so than she would like to admit. Because of that, this piece of writing has been sitting in a draft on my desktop for longer than it needed to in the hopes that I would be able to devote the time necessary to the writing of it to adequately express my thoughts on the subject. I am not, however, a writer, and if I have fallen short of that goal, then I am truly sorry. However, I implore everyone to do their own research into the subject of choice as it relates to career. I have never been as happy in my professional life as when I have understood and made choices as I thought best for me, and taken responsibility for the fact that every situation faces me in my daily work life is the result of the choice I have made. To understand such makes me infinitely more satisfied with my work daily, and I implore you to strive for the same understanding.

It’s been quite a while, a little over four months, since I’ve added anything to my Surviving Work series. In the last installment of the series, I spoke about the Power of Simplicity, and how communicating in a clear, effective manner, both orally and in writing, can lead to better relationships with clients and peers. When these relationships can be developed into an attribute that you, and only you, as an individual hold with a client or peer, it is simply one example of the Power of Ownership at play.

I’m purposefully using the term ‘ownership’ here in an abstract way, to describe the process that an individual uses to take control of the tasks that they are asked to perform on a daily basis. For instance, in the example above, an individual could change the way that they communicate with clients in relation to their peers. That individual could be said to be creating ownership of that communication; of making it their own by using the method that works best for them. This change could result in positive or negative reaction by the client to the new method of communication. Either way, ownership has been acheived, but we’d obviously like to focus on those instances where the power of ownership over a process creates positive change in the work environment.

A perfect example of the power of ownership having a positive effect on working environment can be found in my office. Due to our small size, all levels of staff are forced to take on administrative tasks that would generally be performed by management level employees or higher. When these tasks were being initially discussed and assigned, one staff member expressed interest in heading up our recruiting efforts in the area. In the past year and a half, since we have let this staff person take on this additional job responsibility, with little to no guidance from management, our recruiting efforts have been organized, our relationships with area colleges and universities have grown, and our interview procedures have become standardized, and the number of qualified applicants that we have been able to interview has increased exponentially. This staff person has responded beautifully to the challenge put upon them, in large part because they were given not just the task, but the responsibility for its’ success, and the ability to structure it the way that they saw fit to do so.

How is this possible? Because the power of ownership is inherent in all of us, I think. We have an innate desire to be a part of a larger entity, and to feel a sense of belonging. We also want to know that what we’re doing, and not how we’re doing it, makes a difference. Taking ownership over a process in our own careers’ gives us that. Conversely, using ownership as a management tool to create positive changes in an entity’s culture promotes a more productive and independent staff. We can all promote the power of ownership in our work environment, by taking control of individual processes in our daily job tasks, or by letting go, and allowing staff, or peers, take ownership themselves.

Related Articles

SalesTrax - Helping Others Take Ownership

EzineArticles - Taking Ownership of Tasks

Note: Notice that the second article linked to takes a more conventional approach to assigning ownership of tasks, rather than letting employees take ownership themselves. Additionally, the criticism assumption of ownership about half-way through the article, that people don’t want to be assigned additional tasks or extra work, is one that I take exception to, based on my argument above. Finally, pay attention to the second to last paragraph. There is once again an assumption that people will not take control of a task given to them. I once again take exception, believing instead that if allowed, employees will take ownership of tasks, and that the fault in these situations generally lies at the feet of management for not completely letting go of tasks assigned to others. This article is a good example of The Power of Ownership gone wrong, with negative effects.

Alternately Titled, “Keep It Simple, Stupid”

I’ve been very happy about the success of the Surviving Work series, to date. I haven’t gotten many comments on the posts themselves, but I’ve gotten quite a few e-mails with positive words, and I’ve rather enjoyed writing the series so far, in so much as I feel that I’m able to get things off of my chest in the context of these posts that I wouldn’t have been able to had I just been complaining about work, or my work environment. However, I’m going to have to elevate the quality of my writing if these posts are going to be printed out and passed around the halls of Loyola Law School, so let’s see what we can put together this week.

In the last post, I spoke about the effect of manners on employee, coworker, and client relationships, and how good or bad manners can positively or negatively effect inter-office relationships, and the working environment, respectively. This time I’d like to turn the focus again towards communication with others, and how communicating in a certain way can promote efficiency and productivity. We can do this with a focus on simplicity in our communications with others, which often has the added bonus of reducing the stress of miscommunication with others.

Simplicity in technical writing, and in oral communications with others, is something that I constantly struggle with. You need only read this blog on a consistent basis for confirmation of that statement. I am verbose to a fault. But when I, or we, use a grandiose vocabulary to explain the simplest of actions, then we do nothing but dilute the message that we are transmitting, and the end users’ concentration is focused more squarely on deciphering the message than understanding it. We do this because we want to add importance to even our most mundane actions, because we want our jobs to seem as important as possible to ourselves and to others, even when we know that isn’t always the case. However, once we understand that the importance of our actions isn’t measured by the weight of the words that we use to describe them, we can begin to take steps to simplify our technical writing, and more clearly communicate information orally to coworkers and clients alike, making us more effective communicators and more efficient workers. But how do we do that?

“The importance of our actions isn’t measured by the weight of the words that we use to describe them”

I’ve found that the only way to truly achieve simplicity in oral and written communication is through constant struggle and concentration on eliminating those patterns that we as communicators tend to fall in to. It often helps to have coworkers review technical documents or e-mails for complex wording, in order to have a different perspective on whatever form of communication you are conveying. Another trick that I employ when I have time is to simply put the document aside for a while, and come back to it some period of time later. If I attempt to read it, and I can’t, I make changes as necessary. And it can be something as simple as tacking a not to your wall, to remind you to focus on simplifying what you’re trying to say.

These methods work for written forms of communication, but oral communication of technical topics in a simple manner is often much harder. The same rules apply, though, and involve a concentration in the communicator and an understanding of the knowledge of the person we’re communicating to. It’s important to note that when I mention the knowledge of the person that we’re communicating to, I don’t just mean their knowledge of the technical topic at hand. Different people often communicate in different ways, and we have to be cognizant of that. Try to minimize or completely eliminate the use of acronyms, or client specific wording that might not translate well to a third party. Simplify the words that you use to describe your actions, but remain specific enough so as not to confuse those being communicated to, by using words that often have multiple common meanings.

It’s a challenge at times, but it can be done. Probably the most important thing that you can do to better communicate is to keep lines of communication open to clients or coworkers after initial written or oral interactions have been made. We may not often communicate well, but the real trouble comes when we don’t make ourselves available to clear up miscommunication further down the road.

Understand, though, that we are not alone in the complexity of our communication. Often enough, this complexity is pushed down to us from management, making the search for simplicity an uphill battle. Complication in communication comes from management in the form of additional administrative documentation, over complication of standardized forms and documents, and the push for technical language, even when it’s not necessary. This too is due to the need to stress the appearance of complexity in what are often mundane tasks, and it often happens for the sole purpose of trying to add perceived importance to the jobs that we do. The more difficult and complex the task that we’re paid to perform; the more money we will be able to ask for to perform that task.

However, there’s something to be said for being the only person in a meeting that can make the complicated sound simple, while everyone else attempts to make the simple sound complicated. When you become that person, and you make yourself a primary conduit for the transfer of information, you begin to display the Power of Ownership, which I’ll talk about next time.

An Argument for Manners in the Work Place

In the last ‘Surviving Work’ I spoke about ‘Power Zones’ and how managing the times that you perform specific tasks in your daily life can significantly increase the efficiency of your work. What you’ll find, as I continue on with these ‘Surviving Work’ topics, is that while the means of each topic may differ, the ends will almost always promote working more efficiently, which I believe is one of the keys to increasing the quality of work life. In this case, manners in the work place can build a bridge between you and your client, or a bond between you and a co-worker, than can prove beneficial at times when quick responses, or inter-office favors, become necessary.

For a few years now, every time I’ve sent out an e-mail that’s work related, I’ve always concluded it, right before my contact information, with some derivation of the words ‘thank you’. Thanks for the hard work; Thanks for all of your help; or even simply Thanks. The idea of thanking someone every time you send them an e-mail is multi-faceted. First, in about 90% of the business related e-mails that I write, I’m asking for some sort of reciprocal action from the receiver, whether it’s a request for some sort of documentation, the completion of a process, or simply the answer to a question. So I’m thanking them in advance for the action that they’re about to take to help me fulfill the tasks of my job, and it’s usually an honest, sincere thank you in that regard. Usually. However, in my line of work, I’m forced to interact with employees for whom my job, and the requests that I make, aren’t a part of their job description. So I’m additionally thanking these people for going above and beyond the normal description of their job, to take time out to fulfill a request for someone who, for the most part, isn’t able to perform any beneficial tasks for them in return. I understand that my relationship with my client is, for the most part, a one-sided affair. They provide to me information that I need to fulfill my job tasks, and in return, I provide a service that they don’t really even want, so much as they’re required to let me perform it. Finally, I thank the recipients of my e-mails because the old adage really is true, you do catch more flies with honey than vinegar. To let people know that I’m appreciative of their time and knowledge, makes it easier for me down the road, when additional requests have to be made.

In the past year, in my current client engagement, I’ve pushed my manners farther than I ever have before, and the results have been outstanding. My requests are generally fulfilled quicker and with more enthusiasm than in years past. That isn’t due solely to adding the words ‘thank you’ to my e-mails, but doing such a thing helps to keep me in a kinder frame of mind when performing other client interactions, like office observations or personnel interviews. Good manners in the office can’t help but foster a better relationship with client and co-worker alike, and those good relationships promote a more efficient working environment. This year alone, mine and my staff’s positive relationship with our client has been one of the driving factors in helping us to complete our work on budget, and ahead of schedule.

Things like adding a ‘thank you’ to each e-mail promote good manners, and foster better relationships, but just as important are those things we do to minimize negative impacts on relationships. Don’t be curt with people, whether it be on the phone, or in person. Don’t be late for scheduled appointments, and never, ever miss them or put them off altogether. Take a cautious approach, and don’t using an accusatory tone, when delivering potentially bad news. Be humble. Because, at the heart of things, using good manners is simply a show of respect for another individual. And, anyone who would be willing to do their jobs without some modicum of respect for those they work for, or with, isn’t worth the paper that their pay stub is printed on.

The first installment in this Surviving Work series, Managing Power Zones, deals with using the time that you have every day, at both work and in your personal life, to complete the tasks in front of you in a more time efficient manner. This has been an important topic for me for quite a while, because, while I am very passionate about my job at times, I would much rather work to live than live to work, as the saying goes. What I mean by that, is that I would much rather spend a large portion of my finite, disposable free time every day enjoying my life, spending time with The Girl, or friends or family, than I would working late, or washing clothes or doing the dishes. Who wouldn’t, right?

With that in mind, and without having ever read ‘& Noble">The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People’, I’ll try to describe how managing my power zones is a method that I use to make myself more efficient in my life. First off, though, I want to focus on the subtle, but important difference between the terms effectiveness and efficiency. As the book above touts, there are methods that have been outlined that will help us become more effective, but is that what we want? The term ‘more effective’ implies being able to accomplish more. But needing to accomplish more in our lives usually isn’t the desire of most. We don’t want to be able to complete extra, unnecessary assignments at work. When we finish washing the dirty dishes, we don’t want to go over to the neighbor’s house and clean theirs as well. We don’t want to take on more tasks, we want to be able to complete the tasks that we are already responsible for more quickly, and with less effort, and that is the definition of efficiency.

So what is a ‘Power Zone’, exactly? And how would the management of such help someone to be more efficient? The term Power Zone is simply one that I came up with to describe those times when we frequently perform tasks more actively, and with the most motivation. By manipulating our schedules in such a way so as to handle those tasks that are most difficult, or time consuming, at a time of day that we are most active and motivated to perform those tasks. This seems quite simple in theory, but in practice, the success of this strategy depends on your own ability to honestly and objectivly evaluate your habits at work and at home in relation to performing difficult or unappealing tasks, as well as the potential to change your schedule in such a way as to take advantage of your own self evaluation. Everyone wants to believe that they are an ideal worker, and always engaged, and motivated, but the reality is, this is simply not true for the vast majority of those of us who work a standard office job. Accepting and understanding this point is key.

My choice to post about this strategy for managing time efficiently is referenced here because of my application of it in my work, but it has its roots in my personal life. I realized at some point a few years ago, after leaving work and arriving home, that I basically went through the same tasks at the same unscheduled times every night. When performing particularly undesirable personal administrative tasks, such as paying bills, cleaning, or even running errands, if possible, I often did so between the hours of 10:00 PM and midnight. I simply had more energy and desire to perform those types of tasks in that daily time frame. Knowing this, I applied the same type of self evaluation and observation to my work habits. I actually noted a consistency in my work and personal Power Zones, with most of my motivation and activity at work coming within the period from 10:00 AM to noon, and with a sort of secondary Power Zone from 4:00 PM to 6:00 PM. Thinking about this in retrospect, the following three things are notable:

• My Power Zones are fairly consistent with my personality - I’m not an early riser by any means, and in fact, I’m a bit of a night owl, so it makes sense that my ‘Power Zones are late morning, later afternoon, and late evening. However, I don’t know that this will b consistent among individuals. The Girl isn’t really an early riser either, but from what I can tell, her Power Zones are earlier than mine, from about 8:30 AM to 10:30 AM, and from about 4:00 PM to 8:00 PM.
• Power Zones aren’t specific - Sometimes I’m motivated and more active during different times of the day. The times listed above as my Power Zones are simply what I found to be the times when I was most consistently motivated and active. When trying to determine your Power Zones, don’t become so wrapped up in specific time frames that you deem every hour of every day to be your Power Zone. We’ve already determined that isn’t likely.
• Find your personal Power Zone(s) first - Your personal Power Zone should be the easiest to determine, since the personal actions that we perform are less influenced by the schedules and deadlines of other people. Additionally, once this Power Zone is set, it might allow you to gain some insight in to when, if ever, your work related Power Zones occur.

With our Power Zones now determined, we can increase our efficiency by scheduling our day in such a way as to take advantage of the energy and motivation that we possess during these time periods. For example, I like to arrive at work between 9:00 AM and 9:30 AM. I usually begin my day by performing fairly rote tasks, such as preparing checklists or to do lists for the daily tasks that I need to accomplish, checking and responding to e-mails, preparing tasks to be completed later in the day, or even cleaning up my work space or my computer’s desktop. Basically, I’m preparing myself for my first Power Zone. The majority of my daily tasks are then tackled from 10:00 AM to noon, or 12:30 PM, or for however long I’m motivated. I try to schedule meetings with managers, or clients, when possible, in the early afternoon, or I try to coordinate with others on shared tasks. In the late afternoon, I try to tie up any loose ends on tasks that I wasn’t able to complete earlier in the day, or any smaller tasks that I haven’t yet started, and then I head home around 6:00 or 6:30 PM. It’s important to note that I’m not always able to stick to this general schedule. However, it’s also important to note that days that I am able to stick to this schedule are almost always the days when I get the most accomplished.

Finally, it needs to be noted that your schedule won’t be the same as mine if your Power Zones are different. For instance, if you have earlier Power Zones, you might spend the last portion of each previous day preparing for the next, so that you can be ready to go when you arrive to work in the morning. I promise, though, that if you make an effort to be more efficient, and our honest in your assessment of your work habits and your daily motivations, that you will spend less time each day doing those things that you need to do, and more time doing those things that you want to do.

Like reading this site.

Over the past few weeks and months I’ve been spending a disproportionately large amount of time thinking about work. I’ve been working hard at work just like always, for sure. But work has also been taking up a larger portion of my life, if that makes any sense. Working at night, from home, or just getting home late, or stressing out about my job more than usual, has lead me want to describe the things that I do and see every day. The things that I do to make my life tolerable within the confines of my job may not be helpful, or even relevant, to anyone else. But then again they might. So over the next few weeks I’d like to discuss some of the tips, tricks, and self realizations that have helped me become more productive, more focused, and better at what I do, within the context of an desk job. These aren’t any major revelations, or accounting specific processes, but rather, they are simply the little things I do to spend less time cutting red tape, and more time putting work to paper.

The only real problem that I seem to be facing in writing such a series of posts is, ironically, work itself. Bear with me in that regard. It might take me some time to flesh out posts in my ever diminishing free time, and more pertinent news may require posts that delay a ‘Surviving Work’ addition to the site, but they will come, until I’ve expended the vast array knowledge that I have on the subject. The current plan is to post one, maybe two in the series each month, until I either a) run out of things to post about, or b) finally feel like I’ve gotten enough jabs in at others poor work habits to sufficiently satisfy my need to rant.

Currently, the agenda looks as such:

• Power Zones - Managing your schedule to increase productivity, at work and home
• The Power of ‘Thank You’ - The need for manners in the work place
• Setting ‘Real’ Goals; And Sticking to Them
• Managing Expectations - Yours and Theirs
• Setting Timelines; And Then Forgetting Them
• How To Get Away With Not Wearing A Tie

Of course, more posts are sure to be inspired by my work on a daily basis, but if you don’t see a topic on the list, and if you feel for some strange reason that my input on the subject might be vital to your survival in your job, then please, by all means, feel free to send me an e-mail or leave me a comment, and I’ll try my best to address it. I feel like, so far, this is a very good jumping off point, and I’m very excited about sharing some of my views and opinions on a topic that I actually know something about, as opposed to asking open ending questions about life, as has been my modus operandi over the last few months.