Page 48 - Make Work Great

Overtness About Task

you are there—what value you produce in return for your paycheck—
is the fi rst and most important form of overtness. We often overlook
this question because we mistakenly assume that the answer is self-
evident. It rarely is.
Consider Peter, a successful leader with years of public sector expe-
rience. He was elated to be appointed by his state’s governor to head
an agency concerned with education. The “purpose” of his new posi-
tion seemed obvious: to run his agency to produce the maximum
benefi t to its clients. That’s what his job description said, that’s what
the governor requested, and that’s what the press release announcing
his acceptance claimed. What else could his purpose possibly be?
The real answer turned out to be quite complex. Certainly, he was
supposed to run his agency to support its clients. But there was also
a long list of constituents—parents, community groups, and city gov-
ernments, for example—to whom Peter had responsibilities. Much of
his time was spent interacting directly with those groups or working
on their concerns and issues. He also had to represent the governor
at certain state functions and serve as chairperson for some annual
conferences, mainly to sustain and improve public support for his
agency. As it turned out, less than half of Peter’s time was spent direct-
ing actual agency work toward client benefi t.
Whether this list of responsibilities was objectively “good” or “bad”
is debatable, but the important question is whether Peter understood
the list. At fi rst, he didn’t. Laboring under the false assumption that
he was supposed to be running the agency and serving its clients at all
times, he felt frustrated and distracted by more than half of his work!
And because he thought of “everything else” as an interruption, he
failed to differentiate between legitimate non-client-related activities
and useless distractions. As a result, he didn’t give important projects
the attention and resources they needed, and he didn’t cancel or avoid
the distractions. Failing to be overt with yourself about your purpose
can be a costly mistake.
Often, like Peter, you must discover your workplace purpose
through trial and error. The job description and training you were
given when you arrived probably told just a fraction of the story.

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