In management, the 80-20 rule is used to help identify opportunities and determine which operating tasks are most important and should receive the most attention based on an efficient use of time. Resources must be allocated to addressing the input factors which yield the greatest effect on a company's final results. It is best to work smarter, not harder (See Time Magazine May 30th edition: 17 Tips to work smarter not harder) .
Human resources should be carefully maintained in terms of the man hours that each team member is expected to furnish to the company. Workload is closely connected with performance and enthusiasm. The leading cause of turnover in young companies is unequivocally the burnout of its employees. Above a certain threshold the more tasks a person has to do, the more their performance on all of those activities decreases. This in turn increases frustration and lowers employee enthusiasm which leads to either a self-acceptance of mediocre results or pushes good people out of the organization entirely.
The first rule of production must be setting reasonable limits for what you expect of yourself and your team. Juggling a hundred hour work week is not sustainable over the long haul, and this is why the Fair Labor Standards Act, was enacted in 1938 which created an implicit maximum 40 hour work week by requiring time and a half for any hours in excess of 40 or 8 hours in a single day.
In my experience pushing much beyond sixty hours for the average person invites failure, subpar work and burnout. Parkinson ’s Law states that a job will fill up whatever time available to complete it. But there are limits to what a single person can accomplish within a given time frame. Just as a stop watch was effective in creating the greater efficiencies in the industrial era, if one does not draw a line somewhere he will eventually find himself and his team depleted of energy and therefore of little use to the organization.
The best employers understand where to draw that line. That guiding structure is a cornerstone to managing the successful growth of a company and its people. Finding such balance is a major function of leadership and is best handled by establishing rapport and constant communication with staff. A problem does not go away when it is ignored, it festers and the poison spreads. In other words if you don’t see the trees after dark it doesn’t mean they aren’t there.
It is in the knowing when to push and when it is time to rest which creates a champion. In the best MMA gyms in the country the teams which consistently outperform the others are the ones who carefully plan when to peak, and train accordingly so that the athlete is at his best right before an event. Many leaders know how to ignite a fire, they have a vision. But they rely on others to carry that torch. Therefore it is wise to remember that a fire ignited will consume anything that will burn including the fellow who ignited it if he is not properly controlled. It is better to consider the big picture and coach a team of winners to bigger goals.
Mid-level managers and supervisor also carry the burden to set limits for themselves and their team and in doing so must be prepared to accept the consequences. This might mean not being able to take on an important project as requested. Or it might mean losing your job for standing up to a one step removed overzealous leader and/ or ivory tower investors to protect your health and that of your team. But if you aren’t prepared to do that than you haven’t really set a boundary and that weakness will eventually destroy you anyway. Either way life is a struggle. It is best to know when to pick your battles and the well-being of your people is something worth fighting for. There is an old saying that sometimes you cannot save both your ass and your face at the same time. It such situations it is invariably better to save your ass.
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