Have you ever been really busy all day but haven’t produced anything?
Well, that’s what Grinders can be like.
Grinders like being busy busy busy. Put them in a room with nothing to do and they will find something to do. Wipe down the table. Open and close the window. Open and close the fridge door. Turn on the computer and surf the Net. They like doing things and being busy.
But being busy is not the same as being productive.
To be productive you need to focus on things that complete tasks, like following up on the last bit of missing info so the last job can be finished and invoiced.
Guess what the Grinder will do?
He/she will start a new job or chase the next interesting task.
Grinders need Minders to keep them focussed on priorities as they need direction.
For example:
The Grinder will be the person cutting a piece of timber with a blunt saw. They are working really hard because the saw is blunt and they put in more brute force.
The Minder comes along and says why don’t you stop for 5 minutes and sharpen the saw to which the Grinder replies breathlessly…
“I haven’t got time to stop I am too busy”
…and puts in more force because they feel valued when they are too busy no matter the quality of the outcome.
One way to help ensure Grinders are focused on being productive is to conduct a daily huddle. (find out more about daily huddles here)
The daily huddle is essential to provide direction and sharpen the saw. Unless there is leadership from the Minders it won’t happen and they will just be busy with not as much done (productivity) each day. But they will feel satisfied because they will be spent at the day’s end, albeit they could have got it done in a quarter of the time if they had stopped to sharpen the saw for 5 minutes.
Make sure you lead the team for the daily huddle to happen and for it to become a permanent habit it needs to be repeated over many many months and unless you lead it, it will start and cease after a while.
I cannot stress how important daily huddles are. Leadership is not easy because it’s easier to not do it. It’s harder to stay disciplined to do it daily.
Great results are the difference between good and poor leaders.
You will not only see increases in productivity but a lift in staff morale and their self-esteem.
The best way to lift job satisfaction and self-esteem is to help staff complete jobs.