In Part 1 of this series, I discussed how Amplified Management Practice (AMP) can free leaders from constant work engagement. In Part 2, I will focus on a key enabler of this liberation: optimizing value.
Consider this: as a leader, how much real value do you add each day? By value, I mean work that: (1) a customer or client would pay you to perform, (2) involves coaching or training others to create value, or (3) removes waste and obstacles that inhibit your team from adding value. If we’re honest, very little of our daily tasks meet these criteria. Instead, trivial or unnecessary tasks consume most of our time. To liberate ourselves, we must optimize the value we and our teams produce.
Understanding Value
The primary component of optimizing value is removing waste, which means minimizing or eliminating any action or step that does not contribute value to the customer. Manufacturing understands this principle well, but it is still gaining traction in office settings. While some corporations strive to minimize waste, too often waste manifests as ‘busy-ness’ or unplanned work. Here’s an example:
A few years ago, a client asked me to assess the workflow management process for his small development team. The client was particularly concerned about the volume of work the team had to complete at any given time. In the very first focus group with staff members, it quickly became apparent that the team felt inundated with tasks. One seasoned employee chuckled and told the group that he had no issue whatsoever with too much work. The astounded team looked at him inquisitively. He opened his notebook and explained that he wrote down every task assigned to him. Across a handful of pages, he had recorded approximately 100 tasks assigned in the last month. He pointed out three entries that had stars next to them. He explained that he would put a star next to an entry only if he was reminded to complete the task a second time. Receiving a reminder indicated the work was important, and only then would he complete the request. The group was aghast. How could this be? Everything else was just ‘fluff, busywork, and b—s—,’ as he put it, so why should he spend his time on it?
Why indeed. His method revealed a lot about his mindset, even if his method needed improvement. This seasoned professional understood an inherent truth: he was there to add value, not to produce fluff. Ultimately, no one cared how busy he was or how much valueless work he completed. The director, and more importantly, the customer, only cared if he completed the work necessary to deliver the features and functionality the customer required. The most telling detail of this story was that the same director who authorized the workflow assessment was the one assigning most of these unplanned and meaningless tasks. Even though the director understood the need to minimize disruptions, the ‘need’ to get stuff done overwhelmed his discipline of value creation.
Applying the Principle to All Levels
Notice that this principle applies to both management and frontline employees. Frontline employees are generally responsible for creating customer value, though they can also create value for the organization by improving production methods. Management can also directly add value for customers, but it is also responsible for the strategic planning, coaching, and systemic improvement necessary for continuous value creation.
Implementing AMP Solutions
AMP can help optimize value and minimize waste at a process level. However, AMP also prioritizes deploying resources appropriately:
1. Adopting the Right Mindsets: Respect and Stewardship
AMP emphasizes the importance of approaching management and leadership with the right mindsets. Respect for all team members and stewardship over resources are essential. Leaders must genuinely value their employees’ time and commit themselves to using organizational resources wisely and ethically. This mindset fosters a positive work culture and drives engagement and productivity. A leader who values their employees’ time is mindful to assign work that adds sufficient value for the customer. Put another way; it would be disrespectful and poor use of resources to ask employees to do anything that did not directly add value for customers.
2. Establishing a Customer-Centric Organizational Strategy
A fundamental principle of AMP is to design and deploy a strategy to meet customer needs first and foremost. The organization must understand what customers value and ensure that all organizational efforts deliver that value. A customer-centric strategy optimizes processes to enhance customer satisfaction, which in turn drives business success. Too often, corporate strategies focus on market position, growth targets, and public perception rather than actual value delivery.
3. Optimizing Process Flows Based on Strategy
Once a customer-centric strategy is in place, the next step is to optimize process flows to support this strategy. This means analyzing and redesigning workflows to eliminate waste, reduce inefficiencies, and ensure that every step adds value to the customer. This alignment between strategy and process flow is crucial for maximizing efficiency and effectiveness. This also means that the organization dedicates all resources, whether they be inputs, methods, technology, or people, to value creation and not pet projects or unnecessary work.
4. Empowering Teams with Decision-Making Authority and Continuous Improvement
AMP encourages leaders to empower their teams by thoughtfully delegating decision-making authority. When team members have the autonomy to make decisions within their scope of work, it reduces the need for constant supervision and allows for more efficient workflows. This also fosters a sense of ownership and accountability, leading to higher engagement and productivity. Furthermore, ownership and accountability are necessary to foster a culture of continuous improvement where teams have a desire to improve their contributions.
Conclusion
Adopting AMP can lead to more efficient workflows, higher employee engagement, and increased customer satisfaction. By valuing employees’ time and aligning efforts with customer needs, organizations can create a more productive and fulfilling work environment. The journey towards optimizing value is ongoing, but with the right strategies and commitment, leaders can drive significant and lasting improvements in their organizations.
Consider the earlier example of the development team overwhelmed with tasks. Implementing AMP could help this team prioritize meaningful work over “fluff.” By defining clear value streams, the team would understand which tasks directly contribute to customer value and which do not. Establishing a customer-centric strategy would align the team’s efforts with customer needs, ensuring that their work is impactful and valued. The same principle would empower the director to be more mindful and methodical about which tasks he assigned to the team.
Furthermore, empowering team members with decision-making authority would foster ownership and accountability, leading to a more engaged and motivated workforce. This structured approach would transform the team’s workflow, making it more efficient and aligned with the company’s strategic goals.
Finally, optimizing value is a crucial enabler of leadership liberation. By focusing on tasks that add real value, eliminating waste, and empowering teams, leaders can break free from the constant need to engage with work that doesn’t contribute to organizational goals. Amplified Management Practice provides a structured approach to achieving this by fostering the right mindsets, establishing customer-centric strategies, optimizing processes, and promoting a culture of continuous improvement.