Five laws to know to be more efficient at work (season 3).
9 September 2014
Read by 2727 persons
Slowness is the best answer to urgency. An oxymoron that is mind-blowing! This is what one of the five laws of time, stated by experts on the subject, teaches us. Universal and useful for better organization according to Jean-Louis Muller, director at Cegos (1).
Life, at work and at home, escapes mathematical logic. But there are empirical laws, proven by scientists or practitioners, that should help managers better manage their time, energy and team. After the laws presented in seasons 1 and 2, here are five more in our season 3, inspired by personalities with a vibrant journey.
1. Covey's Law: The law of the exhausting race against time
Definition: "Reacting instantly to an event is exhausting".
Being on the alert leads to wasting one's strength in a vicious circle without end, reactivity calling for reactivity. This phenomenon is a Pavlovian reflex; the individual repeats the same mistakes, applies the same solutions, uses the same habits. He goes in circles. However, he must conversely be strategic, think ahead and respond to internal stimuli. Too many managers lead action plans that amount to dealing with past problems. Yet they have everything to gain by being proactive. And deciding to suffer is not suffering, it is already mastering chance.
>>>Take the initiative to do things differently by abandoning the idea of acting or repairing identically. Ask yourself what you would do if your employer wanted to fire you tomorrow: you would do everything to get out of the routine, without getting tired, so that he keeps you.
2. Einstein's Law: The law of the simultaneity of times
Definition: "The past, the present and the future are intertwined in action".
According to his theory of relativity, space-time is a single entity. In the limit, the present does not exist since it is at the crossroads of the past and the future. Plunging into the urgent task can lead to apnea, which is counterproductive. Putting oneself under such tension is depriving oneself of the resources of past experience and losing the meaning and vision of what one is doing. Conversely, too much in the past, the individual ruminates, too much in the future, he forgets the constraints. He must take into account both past experience and the objective. Project managers are familiar with this law which allows them to stay on course.
>>>Before any challenge, pause. First look in the rearview mirror, analyze past events to learn from your mistakes. Then detect the challenges - the future - in the mission you are going to undertake.
3. Talleyrand's Law: The law of accumulated delays
Definition: "When it's urgent, it's already too late"
Urgency is the sum of previous non-anticipations. They have piled up until the break, the conflicts, the crisis. A mechanism that this exceptional diplomat has very well demonstrated. It is then a question of making your interlocutor understand that agitation is useless. Then consider things from another angle to repair the damage.
>>>Asking: "When is it for?" is the best way to request a delay from those who are pressing you. Have the same indulgence towards yourself.
4. Churchill's Law: The law of effective slowness
Definition: "Let's hurry slowly".
An enriched variant of the previous law. Even if the moment is critical, the individual has an interest in slowing down in order to regain control and regain punch. Suffering urgency is like suffering a toothache, one no longer appreciates a flower, a film, a smile. It is our reptilian brain that commands either attack or flight. It is better to place oneself in a larger space-time by connecting one's cortical brain, which allows one to think and analyze. This is what emergency doctors, firefighters, surgeons... know how to do so well, who moderate their interventions and actions to save lives.
>>>Take a step back. Rushing headlong is exonerating oneself from the consequences, whereas evaluating the situation makes you responsible for your decision, good or bad. Assume it. To avoid: avoidance or procrastination.
5. Saint-Exupéry's Law: The law of the future which is built in all circumstances
Definition: "It is not because the future is uncertain that one must refrain from building it".
Like the former head of General Electric, Jack Welch ("We didn't know it was impossible, that's why we did it"), the aviator-writer affirmed that the future is made. These two illustrious figures belong to the constructivist school which holds that reality is not immutable and that we can shape it to our measure or to that of our dreams.
>>>Move forward. Evacuate fatalistic or negative thoughts of the type: "we'll see!" or "we're off to a bad start!" Engage in a project dynamic even if the context seems dark.
(1) Jean-Louis Muller is the author of the blog "Le management dans tous ses états".
Lentreprise.lexpress.fr
Posted online on September 9, 2014.
Life, at work and at home, escapes mathematical logic. But there are empirical laws, proven by scientists or practitioners, that should help managers better manage their time, energy and team. After the laws presented in seasons 1 and 2, here are five more in our season 3, inspired by personalities with a vibrant journey.
1. Covey's Law: The law of the exhausting race against time
Definition: "Reacting instantly to an event is exhausting".
Being on the alert leads to wasting one's strength in a vicious circle without end, reactivity calling for reactivity. This phenomenon is a Pavlovian reflex; the individual repeats the same mistakes, applies the same solutions, uses the same habits. He goes in circles. However, he must conversely be strategic, think ahead and respond to internal stimuli. Too many managers lead action plans that amount to dealing with past problems. Yet they have everything to gain by being proactive. And deciding to suffer is not suffering, it is already mastering chance.
>>>Take the initiative to do things differently by abandoning the idea of acting or repairing identically. Ask yourself what you would do if your employer wanted to fire you tomorrow: you would do everything to get out of the routine, without getting tired, so that he keeps you.
2. Einstein's Law: The law of the simultaneity of times
Definition: "The past, the present and the future are intertwined in action".
According to his theory of relativity, space-time is a single entity. In the limit, the present does not exist since it is at the crossroads of the past and the future. Plunging into the urgent task can lead to apnea, which is counterproductive. Putting oneself under such tension is depriving oneself of the resources of past experience and losing the meaning and vision of what one is doing. Conversely, too much in the past, the individual ruminates, too much in the future, he forgets the constraints. He must take into account both past experience and the objective. Project managers are familiar with this law which allows them to stay on course.
>>>Before any challenge, pause. First look in the rearview mirror, analyze past events to learn from your mistakes. Then detect the challenges - the future - in the mission you are going to undertake.
3. Talleyrand's Law: The law of accumulated delays
Definition: "When it's urgent, it's already too late"
Urgency is the sum of previous non-anticipations. They have piled up until the break, the conflicts, the crisis. A mechanism that this exceptional diplomat has very well demonstrated. It is then a question of making your interlocutor understand that agitation is useless. Then consider things from another angle to repair the damage.
>>>Asking: "When is it for?" is the best way to request a delay from those who are pressing you. Have the same indulgence towards yourself.
4. Churchill's Law: The law of effective slowness
Definition: "Let's hurry slowly".
An enriched variant of the previous law. Even if the moment is critical, the individual has an interest in slowing down in order to regain control and regain punch. Suffering urgency is like suffering a toothache, one no longer appreciates a flower, a film, a smile. It is our reptilian brain that commands either attack or flight. It is better to place oneself in a larger space-time by connecting one's cortical brain, which allows one to think and analyze. This is what emergency doctors, firefighters, surgeons... know how to do so well, who moderate their interventions and actions to save lives.
>>>Take a step back. Rushing headlong is exonerating oneself from the consequences, whereas evaluating the situation makes you responsible for your decision, good or bad. Assume it. To avoid: avoidance or procrastination.
5. Saint-Exupéry's Law: The law of the future which is built in all circumstances
Definition: "It is not because the future is uncertain that one must refrain from building it".
Like the former head of General Electric, Jack Welch ("We didn't know it was impossible, that's why we did it"), the aviator-writer affirmed that the future is made. These two illustrious figures belong to the constructivist school which holds that reality is not immutable and that we can shape it to our measure or to that of our dreams.
>>>Move forward. Evacuate fatalistic or negative thoughts of the type: "we'll see!" or "we're off to a bad start!" Engage in a project dynamic even if the context seems dark.
(1) Jean-Louis Muller is the author of the blog "Le management dans tous ses états".
Lentreprise.lexpress.fr
Posted online on September 9, 2014.
