The perpetual time crunch
ON YOUR MARKS.
For one large group of public sector senior leaders in England, their year is about to begin as kids go back to school. But for many others the start of September is also a key time, when colleagues are back from holiday and a higher proportion of people are around.
This article explores three key challenges around the perpetual time crunch and outlines some ways forward.
1. I have too much to do.
Some senior leader job descriptions look INSANE on paper. Endless bullet points of responsibilities and accountabilities. Then there's the person specifications which can present as the search for the perfect human being.
Then there are all the tasks which do not appear on the JD, not least the ever groaning and instantly refilled inbox.
In my coaching work there's three key categories of work which appear again and again that senior leaders should not be doing, but which can occupy huge amounts of time.
a. Tasks which should be carried out by direct reports, which either have not been delegated or were in theory then the senior leader did them anyway. Delegate and stick to it!
b. Tasks which could have been done by other senior colleagues, but most of them know if they sit tight long enough someone else (i.e. you) will volunteer. Make someone else take their turn for once.
c. Tasks which exist because there either is no system for preventing a specific type of problem, or the existing system is not fit for purpose or reinforced. On the ground there is huge inconsistency which senior leaders have to iron out. These 'hidden factories' can produce gargantuan amounts of work. Someone on the team, possibly you, has the first responsibility for fixing this. Suggest it needs doing, and offer to help.
Collectively these three areas can be the majority of a senior leader's workload, yet the solutions are often simple.
2. I cannot keep up with changes beyond my control.
No doubt about it the public sector can be fast paced. One unfortunate headline in a Sunday newspaper can mean a whole new set of guidance a fortnight later to be interpreted, adapted, communicated and implemented. Continuous adaptation requires constant learning and an ability to make quick decisions, adding further strain to already demanding schedules.
Too often the responsibility for this is not separated amongst senior teams. Frequently opportunities for division of labour are not taken. Each team member does not have to read the whole document and break it down for what it means for their department.
One can read it in full, consider it from the perspective of the whole team, research what is going on elsewhere, present the implications and invite the comment and action of others. Not each person, every time.
3. My day is gone before it has even begun.
Some senior leaders just love a firefight. They look for where they can add immediate value, the problem they can fix, the-thing-that-can-be-done-now. React react react. Yet the tasks which could stop that same fire ever starting again do not happen.
Senior leaders need boundaries and they need to reinforce them. Not everyone needs to be at the scene of every problem. Many of them have a middle leader/head of section or department perfectly capable of fixing the problem if they could be left to it.
The organisation needs senior leaders to invest their time in what moves it forward. Reactive work is part of every senior leader's job but it is not the be all and end all. People on the ground do not mind you spending a lot of your time in your office if that comes out of it leads to improvement.
It is perfectly possible to do this while maintaining strong visibility and being responsive.
And finally
Levels of experience vary hugely amongst senior leaders but they all have the same constraint on their time.
Chasms of time can be made available with a new approach.
Is this you or someone you know?
