In the modern western world the cult of work has become highly valued. Its most recent incarnation is the ‘always on’ culture. Being available via mobile and email, if not 24/7, then at least more hours each day than was acceptable a decade ago.

Of course it feels good to be busy, to submit to the siren call of activity. Yet there is no special virtue in hard work. The value is in the outcomes, or results, of that work. Activity by itself is pointless. Activity is simply a means to an end.

Too frequently in organisations, accountabilities are described in ways that aren’t results-oriented. They are described in terms of activities to be undertaken rather than the results to be accomplished. But there is a critical difference: activities are what go on during the course of the day, while results are the completed work that is left behind when your people go home.

It stands to reason that individuals, and teams, can perform better if they have a goal towards which they can direct their effort. Such goals, expressed as desired results, enable you to manage and lead your people in the right direction. Without being clear on what you are trying to achieve, you’ll simply make work for yourself and your people without getting anywhere. As the old saying goes, “If you don’t know where you’re going, any road will take you there.”

Yet I notice that for many frontline leaders, results are the responsibility of someone else – their team and the individuals in it. There’s a mental disconnect, as if they aren’t responsible. If things aren’t going so well, then it’s because certain members of the team aren’t performing. Not them as the leader.

All the while, they’re busy doing stuff. Emails to clear, meetings to attend, results to collate, disciplinary meetings to hold, customer escalations to deal with, calls to return and reports to write. All of it satisfying the cult of work. But is it effective?

Well, perhaps we can learn from days long past. Back in 1897 an Italian economist by the name of Vilfredo Pareto was studying the patterns of wealth and income in 19th century England. He discovered that the distribution of wealth across the population was imbalanced. And he discovered that this pattern of imbalance was repeated consistently whenever he looked at data referring to different time periods or different countries. To simplify, Pareto discovered that 20% of the population enjoyed 80% of the wealth.

This discovery has become known as the Pareto Principle, or the 80/20 Rule. It turns out to be a predictable pattern in many areas of life. For example, in business many instances of this principle have been validated. 20% of products usually account for about 80% of dollar sales value; as do 20% of customers. 20% of products or customers usually also account for about 80% of an organisation’s profits.

In society, 20% of criminals account for 80% of the cost of crime. 20% of motorists cause 80% of accidents. 20% of those who marry comprise 80% of the divorce statistics. 20% of children attain 80% of the educational qualifications available.

So predictably, 80% of employee motivation and performance is generated by 20% of frontline leadership activity. If you knew which 20% of your leadership activity creates 80% of the results you’re seeking, then wouldn’t you want to prioritise that in your day, everyday?

Unfortunately it’s not clearing emails, attending meetings, collating results, disciplining people, handling customer escalations, returning calls or writing reports. That’s just all the make work you do to satisfy the cult.

Image by Mario Magallan