“Sorry, I didn’t have time to deliver the article within the agreed time. I was too busy…”, said Henk during the management meeting. It wasn’t the first time Henk hadn’t kept his commitments. He frequently pushed aside appointments, always with an excuse. And Henk couldn’t even specify when he would fulfill the appointment. The daily grind had a hold on Henk. And it wasn’t just Henk who suffered; the other members of the management team did too. And so did the employees. This leads to attention mainly being focused on what needs to be done today, and in this way, employees also have too little time to contribute to projects.
Culture
I encounter the daily grind culture with many of my clients. It’s a culture characterized by being busy, busy, busy. Everyone is running around; much needs to be done today. Putting out fires becomes more the rule than the exception. We chase after every ball. It’s very difficult as an individual not to get caught up in that culture and to show willpower. Because if everyone is running and finding it hard to focus on focus and planning, how do you break that cycle? Other characteristics of a culture ruled by the daily grind are:
- Excuse behavior. Excuses are often given for why certain actions weren’t carried out or commitments weren’t met. “Yes but” is a commonly heard remark.
- Managing expectations is insufficient. Of course, it can happen that an appointment isn’t kept, but if it’s also not specifically stated when follow-up will occur, then we’re even further from a solution.
- There’s insufficient clarity about goals, responsibilities, and performance criteria.
Escaping the Daily Grind
- Focus on what’s important. With a daily grind mentality, people go from urgency to urgency, and at some point, everything becomes urgent. This usually forms an important basis for burnout. Here are 10 tips for planning and focus.
- Take a step back. If we’re constantly running, working long and late hours, our minds don’t get a break. It already helps to commit to ten minutes of doing nothing daily. Most people find that they regain perspective and become better at distinguishing between important and less important tasks.
- Agenda planning. Make a realistic plan daily. That means scheduling time between appointments. That time can be used to make and archive the last conversation notes, get a coffee, connect with employees, stretch your legs, etc. It means spending more time organizing rather than disorganizing. And disorganization is the same as working according to the daily grind.
- Focus on influence. Focus on what you can influence. If you want to be involved in everything, it leads to a high degree of inefficiency and energy loss. Of course, you can increase your influence by taking on more responsibility.
- Delegate. It will greatly help if you identify tasks that others can take over from you. The experience I’ve had with many clients is that they can always delegate more than they think. Can your schedule be managed by an assistant? Can you help employees grow by delegating more tasks?
- Take care of yourself. It sounds like stating the obvious. However, it’s anything but. If you’re not feeling well, keep running, have less energy, then you’re not the best version of yourself. It’s the key. It’s no coincidence that the last chapter of my book is called “KEY”, the key to leadership. Leadership is top sports, and for top athletes, rest is just as important as delivering a top sports performance.
- Be proactive and take control. People who work according to the daily grind are reactive. Someone who is proactive takes control and takes responsibility. Others aren’t (anymore) blamed, and excuses are no longer given.
- Positive energy. Complaining is almost deadly and contagious. Change what you can change. And address others if their attitude and behavior are negative. Here’s how to give feedback.
Will you let me know if you have more tips for escaping the daily grind?
