[Productivity Tip # 1] - Be extremely specific in your ask

“it’s useless to push to the maximum if you go in the wrong direction” (Giorgio Ceredi)

Did you have a fascination for Robin Hood and archers as I did in my childhood? I always remember those round targets with colourful concentric circles.

One thing was clear to me: if you want to hit the centre of a target, you need to know exactly where to aim. The small yellow circle in the middle.

Not just the target board, not any of the circles. The one and only yellow circle in the middle.

What is your yellow circle to hit?

“I want to have better results” is vague. “I want me (or my team) to be more productive” is indefinite.

Objectives like “I want to increase productivity by 40% in 18 months” or “I want to achieve 30% lower employee turnover ratio” are clear and measurable.

Sure, sometimes your results might be a bit off, but when you have a clearly defined objective you will be able to see how distant you hit, correct your strategy, repeat, improve, and hit the yellow circle in the exact centre of the target.

What is that you want, and why? To be extremely specific in defining your target, improve the type of questions that you ask to yourself and to your team. Don’t stop at the first, second or third layer; dig deeper. Make people (and yourself) think. Go beyond the obvious, because that’s what your competitors see as well. Challenge the perspective, the point of view, the direction from which you approach a subject.

As Tim Ferriss said in his book Tribe of Mentors: “life punishes the vague wish and rewards the specific ask”; the most fulfilled and effective people spend 25% finding themselves and 75% creating themselves — and the same is true for companies.

This will empower you to focus and to be effective on the few things that give most of the results… and it will also enhance your purpose. Why do I even mention purpose when talking about Great Performance? 

Because it is proven that

better Purpose = more Results

Every day that you push your employees to do their work faster and cheaper this actually damages your productivity (and increases your turnover costs for talents leaving the company), because it’s not what humans are good at. Instead, do work that has an impact, makes a difference and gets a result.

If you are wondering how to ask yourself disruptive questions to set your objectives, and you want to increase your productivity by 40% in the next 18 months, click on this link to book a 15-minute discovery call.

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I saw the huge impact technology will have on the workplace, so I now run a consultancy and coaching business targeted at elite executives and entrepreneurs.

Maximising human potential is the only way for people to achieve more fulfilment, better productivity and higher profits.

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