How well do your staff understand the priorities of the work you give them?
The need to prioritize is often associated with junior managers. Especially those who are first learning to delegate.
Sports stars are encouraged to play to their strengths. Companies are similarly encouraged to "stick to their knitting" and focus on their "core competencies". We can mistakenly carry that advice over to managers and tell them as well to play to their strengths. Except with managers and business owners there is a trap - Our strengths become our weaknesses.
This story is an amalgam of three actual companies.
Joseph was a pretty good programmer. OK, let's be honest, he was brilliant. One of the best in the world. He loved getting behind the keyboard and cranking out code for clients or just his own enjoyment. Over time he built a reputation with corporates throughout Asia as the best for logistics and supply chain. His algorithms were innovative and gave corporations large savings in transportation and logistics costs.
I started my career in a small company. One of the many benefits of a small company is that there are only simple budgets to manage. When the company grew and later when I moved to an MNC the honeymoon was over and I had the painful comprehensive budget process to endure.
It was an exercise in futility as we tried to achieve simultaneously "you can't do that" and "you must do more". Most managers in large corporations share similar views. So you may be surprised when I advocate that all businesses should embrace the budget and the budget process.
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