The best bosses know how to subtract work
Companies are accustomed to celebrating addition. Profits, customers, and share prices should increase rather than decrease. Innovation involves the introduction of new products. Larger numbers are a measure of career success: managers advance in their careers by taking on more responsibilities, managing larger budgets, and earning higher salaries. True superstars don’t just add. They multiply. The best software programmers are known as “10x developers” because they are supposedly ten times more productive than their peers.
Companies are not always opposed to subtraction. There are beneficial types of reductions, such as carbon emissions. Cutting costs is a necessary aspect of management, although it may not be welcomed. However, the value of doing less is underestimated. The best bosses are those who not only add but also remove.
This means creating time for employees to complete their work. Meetings are typically initiated by bosses. Some are useful, but many are as dull and ineffective as a speed-awareness course. Shopify, an e-commerce company, started the year by eliminating 12,000 recurring meetings from corporate calendars and asking everyone to carefully consider before reinstating them. The company has reported an increase in productivity as a result of this reduction.
2023-08-31 08:03:12
Link from www.economist.com
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