When employees truly understand their purpose they are more engaged, better able to address obstacles and they expend greater discretionary effort. A hospital housekeeper once shared that he didn't see his job as that of a housekeeper because his supervisor continually made it clear that the department's purpose was creating a clean environment that enabled patients to get well as soon as possible.

During the 1996 Olympics Charlie Jones, a sportscaster, found when asking members of the U.S. rowing team about the weather, water conditions, competition, etc. he consistently received one response: "That's outside my boat." Those Olympians were only concerned with what they could control -with everything else not worth discussing.

But enabling employees to understand the team's purpose and their personal contribution is only step #1. The more difficult step is enabling employees to stay focused on that purpose. And this step involves leaders having the commitment and fortitude to support their employees in saying no to and putting aside those tasks that don't support that purpose.

When Peter Drucker was asked "What one thing would you ask a leader or manager to determine how effective he or she was?" Drucker replied "I would ask them what they've stopped doing in the last two months." Have you ever cleaned out your closet, attic or garage and after throwing away a lot of stuff felt as though you actually had more - having found useful items you had forgotten you had?

In many organizations leaders continually assign additional tasks to employees' who already have full plates - seldom, if ever, removing anything. The unintended consequences being employees who are left feeling:

·        consumed by busy work

·        overwhelmed by activity

·        they've lost control

·        their manager is out of touch with their reality

·        and worst of all - that everything is of equal importance.

Taco Bell's leadership team believes that employees can't execute new strategy if they, as leaders, have not removed, at least, some earlier priorities. It's addition by subtraction. Leaders by removing old and/or less significant tasks provide employees purpose, clarity, focus and the sense that their leaders 'get it'.

Your team's time and energy are valuable and finite resources. The time employees spend addressing issues of minor importance is time they can't spend time on their primary purpose. Old strategies detract from the implementation of new strategies. Insignificant tasks clog the pipeline. But leaders can encourage employees to say no to redundant, non value adding, less significant initiatives.

The Focus Group has a methodology that we use to assist teams in identifying and then focusing on only those issues significant to carrying out their current purpose and strategy - for example, asking employees to review their calendars over the last couple of months to identify patterns of non essential activities.

If you are like me, you always give yourself, at least, one Christmas present. So, give yourself and your team the strategic Christmas present of only having to focus on those tasks that will make a difference in achieving your current purpose. 

We wish you a very Merry Christmas and thank you for reading our newsletters in 2010. We look forward to writing to and working with you in the improved economic climate of 2011.