How to Make Sure Your Boss Doesn't Switch to Tap Water

Franklin Covey has a consulting product on Execution. One of the key concepts is the "whirlwind".

The whirlwind is all the email, phone calls, minor emergencies and more that happen to you in the course of a normal workday.  You get sucked into the whirlwind. Like mowing your grass, you have a sense of self-satisfaction when you take the email box to zero.  But there's a dirty little secret/downside to allowing your day to be solely driven by email and the other elements of the whirlwind.

The nasty fact? When you deal with the whirlwind only, you don't add value. You start looking very similar to a commodity as an HR Pro.  What type of commodity?  How about water? Lots of choices for that.  Some like to pay for the label, but in a cost pinch, what do most people do? They go with the water that's the lowest cost (tap water, anyone?)

And so it goes when you're an HR Pro. The whirlwind is there to suck you in. Allow it to run your professional life, and no value-added project on your plate gets completed. What's that? You HAD to deal with the whirlwind?  I know you did, but when you allow it to rob you of all your project/value add focus, you lose.  No one else does - you lose.  In a pinch, whatever your career level, your company is going to look at what gets done out of your operation, and if the value added isn't there, there's a possibility they're going to make a choice to downgrade.

To tap water. 

When you ONLY deal with the whirlwind and don't create product out of your HR shop, the downgrade is always a possibility.

Carve out at least an hour every day the rest of the week to chase a project that's going to make the people you serve go "wow". Then keep doing that.  Keep the whirlwind at bay and protect the time you have to create product.

It's the only way to ensure your boss doesn't start drinking straight from the tap.

Comments

[Chris]

The Pareto principle, exactly!

[Lisa]

Wonderful! My project . . .develop a social media plan for HR at the medical center. No one is going to flush this girl down the drain!

[www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=632019852]

Hey buddy, you need cat photos? I got yer cat photos.