There’s a problem lurking in your business. Depending on the size of your company, it’s costing thousands or millions of dollars every single year in lost productivity.
This problem is so insidious and so inherent in the way most knowledge workers operate that you may not even notice it any more than you notice the air you breathe.
The problem I’m referring to is distraction.
Most workers who spend their days in front of a computer have long since accepted a “deal with the devil:” in order to keep up and win in the digital age, we need to multi-task, ping our colleagues whenever we have a new thought—and, of course, burn the midnight oil from our bedrooms where we can access the office on our phones.
But I’ve trained thousands of global leaders to exceed their company goals by establishing business cultures in which these practices that actually undermine productivity are no longer accepted. The benefits include increased employee happiness and immense savings that contribute to the company’s bottom line.
The Cost of Distractions and What to Do Instead
I’ve supported leaders in cultivating environments where interruptions are the exception rather than the rule. I detail just how you can achieve this as well in my newest book, EVERYONE WANTS TO WORK HERE.
Following are two of the most significant ways that distractions are jeopardizing your bottom line, plus some suggestions for a more productive and beneficial approach.
You Can’t Focus ON the Business
If you’re a leader, you want to unleash your genius in service of your organization. However, more likely, you’re frequently called to put out fires that drag you into the business and steal your attention from focusing on how the business operates.
But this firefighting may not leverage your unique skills and abilities in the most efficient way. It’s more likely caused by team members who are afraid to make decisions or who’ve been conditioned to run all decisions by you for approval—making them just distractions that prevent you from completing your most important work.
This kind of culture extracts a significant opportunity cost: as a leader, these distractions that prevent you from focusing on the business rather than in the business leave the more important, strategic work undone.
Try This Instead
Clearly define the roles of your team members and then authorize them to make decisions without you. Consider using the phrase “I trust your judgment” more often. Recognize that mistakes serve an important purpose, and consider mentoring in hindsight rather than giving them your take up front. This is a win-win approach that will empower your team members and free you up to work on business operations.
Your Team Members Operate in a Culture of Urgency
Distraction creates a culture of urgency where team members feel compelled to constantly monitor communication, leaving them unable to prioritize or complete their most important tasks.
One of the most common sources of distraction is digital communications. In many company cultures, not only is it acceptable to message team members through a variety of platforms all day long, but messaging colleagues on weekends and vacations is too often the norm. Your workforce operates with a hum of anxiety in the background—anxiety about missing important messages or owing someone a response, sometimes known as “communication debt.”
In an effort to stay out of this debt, many employees keep two computer monitors open at all times—one to check incoming messages for possible urgent issues and the other to do their work. The problem is that the second monitor prevents these workers from managing their attention and harnessing their brainpower in service of their important tasks. This means work is done with continuous partial attention, elevating our stress by feeding our fight or flight response and fostering an “always-on” habit that is difficult or impossible to leave behind at the end of the workday.
Try This Instead
One of the best ways to help establish a culture where everyone wants to work is to implement a communication policy. This policy should make clear which communication platforms should be used to communicate urgent matters; email should be reserved for non-urgent communications.
An effective business communications policy would also restrict communications to specific hours so that staff members may fully unwind at home or when on vacation. Given the opportunity to restore their brainpower by not focusing on work at all, these workers will be able to apply their gifts and unleash their genius when they return to work.
Finally, while more computer “real estate” is sometimes useful, most employees should not keep a second monitor on their desks. Removing these will instantly reduce the cost of distractions in your office.
Distraction Is Optional
While many leaders believe that a work culture full of distractions is just the way it has to be, I’m here to tell you that this just isn’t true. Employees recover a sense of control over their everyday lives when leaders seek to eliminate distractions and enhance the workplace culture. Individual satisfaction and productivity both rise as a result. Even better, the business recovers hundreds or millions of dollars per year. When you actively seek out and eliminate distraction in the organization, you’ll begin to foster an environment that attracts the best talent, energizes your team, and helps make your company the leader in your market.
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