Many organizations equate busyness with productivity, but the two words are not always interchangeable. You probably know someone who is always busy but rarely seem to make any progress. And the reverse may be also be true. You know someone who never seems busy yet they are highly effective. It’s common to accept movement for impact. Sometimes, movement does equal impact, but determining validity requires greater scrutiny. Impact must be measured against our goals and objectives. Were we effective? In other words, did we accomplish what we set out to accomplish? And was it the right accomplishment?

This isn’t just an individual leader challenge. In most cases, it is system. Organizations can fall into societal norms of trading busyness for productivity—all the tires are spinning but making little traction. This is easy to do when the organizational culture is subtly and silently communicating the expectation to be constantly moving. When the message to be “full on” is embedded in the organization’s DNA, it permeates. It permeates, and it frustrates.

What is your organization’s culture communicating to you about how you should work?

The pace of work?

Capacity limits?

How is effectiveness evaluated?

What is rewarded?

Three powerful reasons the organization’s DNA may be driving your ideals about work:

1. Busyness = Commitment. Many organizations purport the message that busyness equals commitment. This is a sad truth. Some individuals are stellar at making themselves appear as super stars because they try to insert themselves in every initiative. Overextension becomes a badge of honor. This is often motivated by either fear or selfish ambition. If others are dedicated to an assignment without attention-grabbing tactics, they may be dismissed as disengaged. Unless these individuals are confident and disciplined, they may take on more to communicate commitment. There are times to take on more, certainly seasons of upticks in work, but this must be warranted and intentional. Simply assigning value to busyness and rewarding it is a sure way to demotivate employees and volunteers. They may fear that slowing down will be interpreted as a lack of dedication. Evaluating efforts for effectiveness and efficiency is a better way to assess the true value of busyness. Is the organization busy for busyness’ sake and how can work be streamlined for greater impact?
2. Hierarchical Pace-Setting. Leadership may be the culprit. The pace of an organization often mirrors its leaders. Undoubtedly, an organization takes its cues from senior leadership. If leaders fill every minute, rush from meeting to meeting, and rarely pause to reflect, the entire organization begins to emulate that rhythm. It rarely matters if the pace is unsustainable; an organization will assume the behaviors modeled before it. Conversely, when senior leaders are disciplined, intentional and value prioritization, employees and volunteers follow suit. Leaders who are thoughtful about initiatives and insist on systems thinking before committing will teach their team to do this as well. They give the organization permission to be more intentional and deliberate—an opportunity to breathe and focus on sustainable pathways forward. This helps to shape the culture and climate to move from one that is overwhelming and prone to burnout to one that is purposeful and aligned.
3. Lack Clear Prioritization Matrix. Without proper priorities, organizations will consistently fall prey to overextension. Having a mechanism or framework for assigning priorities is critical to building sustainable rhythms for work. When everything feels urgent and important, it becomes nearly impossible for organizations and teams to focus. And divided attention does not yield optimal results. It’s like the old saying, “If everything is a priority, then nothing is.” Since every project, initiative or request can be the priority, organizations need a framework to help determine when the answer should be no or not now. Without this, the organization and its members remain busy reacting to competing demands rather than discerning what is most aligned with mission and strategy.

Key Questions to Ask:

How do we recognize and evaluate real impact in our organization?

What pace are we modeling as a leadership team, and what impact is that having on our organization?

What criteria are we using consistently to say “yes” and “no” to projects, initiatives, or requests in our organization?

Most cultural drivers are insidious and sometimes invisible to the organization. It is worthwhile for leaders to pause, reflect and ask (and answer) hard questions around how their organization’s DNA might be shaping the pace and patterns they’re trying to manage. Addressing overextension is not just about recognizing capacity and reducing workload. Instead, it is about transforming culture so that alignment and sustainability are among the defining characteristics of the organization. In times of uptick, the organization will be able to excel and continue commitment to its DNA—not sacrificing one for the other.

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