Where Has All the Time Gone?
Ronald O. Wastyn, Ph.D., Vice President & Chief Operating Officer, Senior Leadership Consultant, Wastyn & Associates, Inc.
Over the years it has become clear that we are running out of time. We see this in our families when we can barely find time to share dinner together because everyone is all over the place doing different things. It is no less a reality in our organizations.
Our family dinners are a time to catch up and talk about the day and even dream about the future. Our organizational meals are becoming less and less frequent. While it may not be a literal meal, we certainly struggle to find the time to come together as a team, work together, and talk about the organization’s challenges and dreams.
There are many reasons for the time crunch. We are trying to do more with less, whether that is human or monetary resources. Outside agencies are creating more reporting demands on our staff. We just have more immediate demands on our time and cannot afford to ignore the immediate work in front of our eyes. As such, we prioritize the short term. Make sense, right? Well, does it? Can we really afford to keep putting off our organizational conversations? Can we afford to not share an organizational meal? My short answer is NO – we need to find the time to talk before time runs out.
My sense is that people in organizations are hungry for conversations about where the organization is going. With all the outside pressures, uncertainty about the future becomes greater. Without conversations, people will confront uncertainty with little guidance about how to act in the face of the new reality. Conversations help people create some sense of certainty, so they understand and know how to function in their new reality.
So, how can we have conversations when we are running out of time?
Do a time audit. Take a week and examine how your time is spent. Have someone else even look at the week with you. Strategize how you can re-shape your time so you can spend it in conversation. Do not think you have to do everything; delegate some small things to free you up. Prioritize your time for conversation.
Structure the conversations into small bites. Instead of a formal sit-down meal, take 10, 15 or 20 minutes and chat with people about what is happening and truly listen to their concerns or insights. Perhaps have a standup conversation with a cup of coffee. Maybe talk over lunch. Make this a regular part of your routine. Commit to do this at least once every other week. In these conversations, do not focus on the immediate – focus on the future!
There is going to come a time when your organization needs to pivot and change. Resistance to change takes many forms, but one of the most powerful is that people have a sense of loss. This loss comes from not being prepared to confront inevitable change. We are better able to move on when we better understand the forces of change that surround us. We cling to the good old days because that is all we know.
Help prepare your organization to change by finding the time to TALK.