If You Are Frequently Sitting Late, the Reason Likely Isn’t Work
It isn’t lack of delegation, the reason we typically associate with late-sitting.
Not a Medium Member? You can read it here for free.
Sitting late once in a while is okay.
Sitting late for a couple of weeks too is okay if it is due to a project.
But if you are frequently sitting late, the reason likely isn’t work.
It could be (for a Manager):
· You don’t have adequate team members
· You don’t have people with the right skill set
· Your priorities aren’t clear
· You are ‘doing’ things, instead of ‘managing’
The above would be the standard reasons.
But there is a more hideous reason.
You are letting your Strengths dictate your day.
If unaddressed, the problem will continue to increase.
The issue is a painful reminder for me as well.
At one time, I stayed in a rental accommodation near my office for months to cope with the workload. I used to go to my home in the suburbs only on weekends.
But the issue didn’t get resolved.
Conventional wisdom would say:
- I had too much work. But that wasn’t the case. Some of my peers handled bigger departments and, yet, left on time.
- I was micro-managing and not delegating enough. That also wasn’t the case, as my former team members would tell you. Most of them were happy with me and I had among the fewest resignations.
And yet, I sat late.
Frankly, I didn’t have an issue with sitting late. I was (and am) a bachelor, and so this wasn’t a problem for me.
The issue was — I was still lagging at work, even after putting all my time on the job.
It is only in the last couple of years that I have understood the real reason.
I was letting my Strengths dictate the day.
How do our Strengths play out at work?
Given a task, all of us address it through the strengths that come naturally to us.
For the same issue, if you are an Extrovert, you will pick up the phone and call. I, as an Introvert, would prefer to send an email. At other times, you will try to persuade emotionally. I would use logic and reasons.
This is inevitable. This isn’t an issue also because any task can be done in multiple ways.
But then these strengths make us diverge further, and start affecting the other way around. We start focusing on tasks that let us use our strengths.
All of us want to get joy and happiness from our work.
It is usually found in activities that play to our strengths. It could be problem-solving, initiating improvements, making fail-safe processes, etc.
For some, it could be big-picture thinking, building relationship, setting direction, etc.
So, we focus on these to the detriment of our newer managerial responsibilities. Consequently, we find ourselves lagging in responding to others’ requests.
We then have to sit late to address them.
How can you focus on your new responsibilities?
I have found it helpful to ask myself, ‘What is my main role here?’ from time to time. It helps me to focus.
Additionally, keeping the following on your desk will ensure you don’t get pulled away by your strengths.
In an HBR article, Julian Birkinshaw and Jordan Cohen write
… Knowledge workers can make themselves more productive by thinking consciously about how they spend their time; deciding which tasks matter most to them and their organizations; and dropping or creatively outsourcing the rest …
While the authors reference knowledge workers in general, I believe their insights are equally applicable to managers.
They too advocate a variant of Start/Stop/Continue to help one focus.
How it helps? An Example
These days, I write on Medium.
Consistency isn’t one of my strong points. Plus I tend to read a lot of self-help books. As a result, I occasionally get carried away and start writing articles on the Subconscious mind and the power of Beliefs.
To keep my focus, I have now kept this frame on my desk. It is helping me focus.
Bonus
As you focus on your main role, there is an unintentional payoff.
You will start addressing your Weaknesses or things that you avoid.
So, for example, say, you struggle with Relationship Management.
But now, because of daily seeing the frame, you will think of something to better the relationship with your boss, peers, and other stakeholders.
You will find the time to make a 5-minute courtesy call, have a meeting with a stakeholder to understand their concern, etc.
Eventually, it will become easy for you.
Conclusion
Sitting late is like the common cold.
The good thing is it is easily observable. It is a symptom that your focus during the day needs correction.
Address the reason.
It is the work that will help you throughout your career.
Whether you’re an Individual Contributor or Manager, overcome the 28 most common workplace challenges with my eBook, 28 Management Tips.
