Part 1 - Different levels of productivity in a workplace
Corporate productivity and management philosophy
[!tip] These essays are a short burst of eureka moments that came about from years of team building and management. I talk about my management philosophy and how to navigate this complex role in the chaotic corporate world.
Part 1 - Different levels of productivity in a workplace
Background
This essay explores how to get more done in a day and why most corporate knowledge workers are unable to do so. The advice in this essay is generally applicable to most knowledge workers, especially if you're working in a corporate environment and hold a leadership position.
I'm writing this for the person I was three years ago - thrown into management without a clear playbook.
I'm not an expert, but I've seen enough to notice patterns.
Levels of productivity in a workplace
People operate fundamentally at different levels - not just in effort, but in how they think about work.
Level 1: Passive and Reactive These are employees who prioritize stability over growth. They will do the minimum to complete assigned tasks. They are rarely proactive. They often believe they are performing adequately for their role, but they do not realize their output is lacking, especially in the eyes of their bosses.
Level 2: Reliable executors These are the hardworking members of society who go above and beyond and complete their tasks on time or early. They are willing to shoulder more tasks if given the opportunity. They will also willingly work extra hours. These good-natured employees usually operate at 70%-100% of their maximum output.
Level 3: Optimisers These are the high flyers who consistently operate at 90%-100% of their maximum output. They will work extra hours and on weekends to make sure their work is flawless.
A note on "Output". In the context of this essay, I define it as the value created relative to time and resources used.
Level 4: Force multipliers Usually, these are the workers who hold leadership positions because they are highly efficient and effective at work. Their maximum output is a multiple of the output of Level 3 employees. They are difficult to replace, not because they work harder, but because they operate differently. They are able to achieve this because their maximum output is incomparably higher than others'. In short, they understood how to get things done.
Level 5: These are the geniuses and the top 0.01%. This article will not discuss these individuals, as they are too unique to be relevant to our topic.
Read on, with practice, you will be able to achieve the highly sought-after Level 4 productivity.
A Reassuring Observation
Here's something most people don't realize: Even in higher-level positions, most of them produce little output. At best, they operate within the boundaries of what they already know, producing outputs that are copies or alternatives of what they have been doing for years.
Now that we understand a little more about the common performance in the corporate world, we'll explore how to move between these levels in Part 2.
[!info] This essay is published in parts because I'm breaking it down into chunks to make writing easier. It is not done intentionally to withhold information from my readers. I thank you for reading this short piece and staying for the next parts. I'm looking forward to updating this blog on Part 2.