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At work, the demands of the role, the demands of the processes we run and the customers we serve can all be extremely high. Client wants and needs are changing, processes slow down, and systems go wrong. In these instances, we often deliver our work as normal, but is normal always best? It is often said that things can always be improved, things can always be done better and you should never settle for what you have today.
With that in mind, many individuals when they work look at their jobs daily and ask the question – “what can I be doing better?” Many organizations look at their operations and ask – “how can we do this better?” Many product developers look at their outputs and ask – “how can we deliver these to our clients better?” Whether a leader, an executive, someone working within operations, a developer, a customer or a colleague, the question will always revolve around the same word – better.
In this article, we will look at a range of ideas for those things done at work today which could be done better, tomorrow.
Explore Ideas to improve work performance
When reviewing the following ideas within your own organization or role, you need to think about them in the following way. What can I do better, how can I do it better, what do I need to do it better? These will revolve largely around using data, experience or perception to identify, choosing an approach or methodology to understand the how and building out an exhaustive plan to ensure you can deliver the change you need.
1. Client/customer engagement
Spend more time improving the experience of your customers, from the second they lay eyes on your product/service through to when they have it in their hands/inboxes.
2. Internal email communication:
Break down the barriers between departments, teams and individuals and change the way communication is done in the business. If via email, make the communications clearer, more concise and more impactful. Every sentence must have a purpose and make sense.
3. Other internal communication:
Build out new options for internal communications. This can include Town Halls, options to get more people involved, an internal newsletter highlighting the successes of teams, video updates etc.
4. Empower colleagues:
Give colleagues more options when it comes to making changes in the business. This could include a business improvement mailbox where they mail suggestions for improvement or set up a change committee where ideas are discussed and turned into projects. This really empowers staff and moves improvement work forwards, quicker.
5. Facilitate better:
Whether delivering workshops or meetings, client engagements or new business discussions, make sure these are done, better. This includes having a good facilitator in the room to keep the meetings on track, keep them on the agenda and ensure everyone has a voice.
6. Plan for meetings better:
We all know meetings can cloud out our diaries and, if they have no purpose / you don’t need to be there, they can become really annoying. Ensure every meeting has a clearly defined agenda, those that need to attend only are invited, they are scheduled way ahead of time to accommodate all diaries and a communication is sent prior to setting the scene.
7. Hand-offs & sign-offs:
With key processes, ensure you are only asking for sign-offs from those people who really need to sign it off. As processes age, new people are often added in who may once have had a reason to be involved, but no longer do. This links to handoffs. If the department or individual highlighted does not have a genuine purpose in the process, remove them.
8. Move the workspace around:
Whether physical or digital, ensure the workspace is built around the needs of those who use it. This means ensuring office equipment is all in one place, near to those who require it. It means building out a centre of excellence where ideas can be shared. It means digital workspaces are clean, tidy, orderly and user-friendly.
9. Delegation:
Ensure those who have the skills to take on certain tasks or activities are given the ability to. If Managers have responsibilities and don’t delegate them out to others, the others will not have the opportunity to get the exposure and the development they need to move forward. It also creates a single point of failure with the person taking on all of the activities.
10. Provide better guidance:
For all of the work done, you should have two key documents – a process map and an SOP (Standard Operating Procedure, also referred to as a work instruction or training manual). This ensures the work completed is always done to a standard, is always done as per governance and will always lead to the same, consistent outputs for the end user.
11. Prioritization:
Be clear from a Management perspective what the priorities of the day, week, year and job role are. This must be crystal clear. Colleagues prioritizing the wrong activities and outcomes can lead to a ripple effect of negativity across the business, especially when those crucial things that have not been done are now causing a backlog of problems.
12. Train better on the use of systems:
Ensure everyone is fully skilled in the systems being used in the business. When someone new joins, ensure they are trained as per best practices, guidance and lessons learned from previous mistakes. Do not let bad practice be trained out to others.
Conclusion
When it comes to doing your job better, it must start with a question of intent. Why are you asking this question? Is it because of frustration at the lack of progress in something? Is it boredom because the role has become monotonous? Is it because data is pointing to a big problem you will need to fix soon?
Whatever it is, ensure you have a clear statement of intent and a clear plan for delivery. This clarity will help you to avoid any problems or issues in both the delivery of your changes and the environment post-delivery.
