‘Think straight’? This is how one client called it. Others may say ‘think logically’. Or ‘think systematically’ or ‘think in a structured way’. Whatever, thinking straight is a fundamental  is skill your employees need but often fail to use.

Here’s an example of how it should be done. It is a logic tree, you can visualise it on paper as a cascading tree:

An employee is not performing her job as you want her to:

Question 1 - Is the problem a ‘can’t do’ or a ‘won’t do’? This is a key question, as it sets you on the right path. Once you have ’learned’ the question, like a ‘mental model’, it is simple to remember and it can be pulled out of your memory whenever you need it.

Let’s explore both of the possibilities offered in Question 1.

Question 2 – What evidence is there to suggest it is a ‘can’t do’?

When we say ‘can’t do’ we mean that something is preventing her from performing.

Question 2.1 – What might prevent her from performing? Let’s brainstorm some possibilities. A lack of knowledge and skills? Someone or some system stopping her? Insufficient resources such as information, authority, time, equipment, money, etc.? No KPIs and/or no feedback on the KPIs? Something else?

Let’s take each possibility and look more closely

Question 2.1.1 – What evidence is there that the problem of ‘a lack of knowledge and skills’ is a real one or a perceived one?

Question 2.1.1.1 – If a ‘lack of knowledge and skills’ is a real problem, what can we do about it? etc.

Question 2.1.2.1 – etc.

You continue the logic tree this way and examine all the ‘can’t dos’ in detail. You then go back to the first question and look at ‘won’t do’.

Question 3 – What evidence is there to suggest it is a ‘won’t do’? When we say ‘won’t do’ we say the person ‘can do’ i.e. they have all the knowledge, skills, resources, etc. to do the job, but some motivational factor is stopping them from actually doing.

Question 3.1 – What are the motivational factors that stimulate people to perform? Let’s brainstorm some possibilities. They get a financial reward for performing? Or there are negative consequences for not performing? They believe that performing is important – for the company, for themselves? They see value in performing? They get a sense of achievement and satisfaction by performing? The method they use is efficient and effective? Something else?

Let’s take each possibility and look more closely.

Question 3.1.1 – What evidence is there that there is a problem of a lack of financial reward for performing? Is it real or perceived?

Question 3.1.1.1 – If it is a real problem, what can we do about it? etc.

Question 3.1.2.1 – etc.

You continue the logic tree and examine all the ‘won’t dos’ in detail.

Thinking in this way, you get to the root cause of the problem or, as one client puts it, ‘you get to the truth’.

bquest provides in its system of employee development for small businesses a range of structured thinking tools that both increases the quality of analysis, and gets it done more quickly, and with less stress.

If you want to learn and develop, you need to spend some time on it. So when someone says to me “I want to improve my time management” I know we are going to have one of those chicken and egg discussions. To improve your time management, you have to find some time to spend on it; to find some time, you have to improve your time management.

One tactic I have used with clients to get over this problem successfully is to say that before they can improve their time management they have to commit to allocating two hours a week for a period, usually between four to six weeks, without their phones and email, away from people, in a place where they cannot be interupted.

This is a behavioural change that does not require ‘learning’, it is a simple discipline.  I say, “Just do it!” I defy anyone to say they absolutely, categorically, 100% cannot find two hours for themselves.

The two hours are used as their time for time management. Like all topics however, you can enter the world of time management from different perspectives. To find the right entry point, I like to group ‘problems’ of time management into four categories:

• Self-management skills: the usual skills you get from time management books, for example how to plan, how to prioritise, time budgeting, when to do certain jobs, cutting out time wasters, etc..
• Interpersonal skills: the skills needed to negotiate with other people about deadlines and quality standards, the ability to say ‘No’, the skills to get extra help, etc.
• Intrapersonal attitudes: not really skills, but the ability to understand and manage those pesky voices inside your head that manipulate your behaviours. For example, the desire to please makes the willing horse take on too much work, which then causes her to fail to deliver. Or, the desire to be perfect makes a person spend too much time on a task when they only have to deliver what is sufficient. Or a lack of trust means you do someone else’s work, etc.
• System-wide problems: the problems of the organisation or wider system that are not within your remit to solve. For example, R and D is notoriously difficult to time manage. Or dealing with company buraucracy, etc.

Where do you think your own time management problems sit? Maybe in one or maybe there is an overlap with a couple of categories? With bquest, we help you choose the right entry point for your development so you don’t waste your time trying to solve the wrong problems.