To become a better leader, we are told that we need to think more strategically. But what does that mean, and how do we know we are thinking strategically? The examples we are typically given are obvious and do not really help us to become more strategic. Thank goodness for LLMs. I asked this same…
Author: Josh Bulloc
The Paradox of Measuring Knowledge Work
It’s hard to measure the output of knowledge workers because there are so many variables in what they do. At the same time, measuring productivity can feel dehumanizing. It reduces complex thinking into numbers, and environments that are heavily measured rarely produce new ideas or novel solutions. But measurement isn’t only a constraint—it can also…
From Hourly to Salary: Standing Out
How to Stand Out When Applying for Internal Salary Roles (From a Hiring Manager) I’m in a role where I sometimes hire non-engineers into salaried positions. When I open one of these roles, I often get a large number of applications from hourly employees within the organization. If you’re trying to make that jump, here’s…
Notifications Don’t Make You Productive—They Make You Reactive
I have always been a fan of standard work. It’s where you schedule recurring activities to make sure the important work actually gets done. Shutting off your email and only checking it 2–3 times a day is a simple example. Many people resist this. They want some system to remind them to do things. They…
Why Managers Have to Be Careful What They Say
Managers have to be careful about how they warp reality around them. As managers, we need to be careful about what we say—especially as we climb higher in the organization. A passing thought said out loud can easily be interpreted as an action item. Someone may hear it and assume they’re supposed to go make…
Leaders Should Skip More Meetings
Many of the meetings I’m invited to don’t really need me there. The organizer usually thinks I might add some marginal benefit, so I get included. Sometimes I’m also added because it makes it easier for me to backstop the decision later—or make the decision if needed. I’m added just in case. But I’ve started…
How Hiring Managers Actually Decide Who Gets the Job
When hiring, a manager goes through a series of decisions to determine the right candidate. First, the hiring manager filters resumes to determine who to interview. The initial filter removes candidates who don’t have the basic skills. This step happens faster than most people realize. Research using eye-tracking technology has shown that recruiters spend roughly…
When Being the Key Person Makes You the Weak Point
Be careful about putting yourself in the middle of everything and becoming the linchpin. Sometimes that’s good. Sometimes it’s necessary. But sometimes it’s ego or fear that puts you there. Sometimes the process would actually run better if you were taken out of the loop. There are times when you need to step in and…
You Need to Learn AI for Your Job
Why We Have to Learn to Use AI at Work AI is already transforming how work gets done. Learning to use it effectively will make us more efficient, eliminate much of the tedious administrative work we all dread, and ultimately keep us relevant as roles continue to evolve. Imagine having an infinite number of administrative…
Before You Go Fully Remote, Consider This
The Hidden Cost of Fully Remote Work I work in an environment with three groups: people in the office full-time, people on a hybrid schedule, and a few who are fully remote. Here’s what I’ve observed. Employees who are fully remote start to become disconnected unless they work very hard to stay plugged in. They…
The Growth of Complexity in Your Organization
I bet that if you work at a company that has been in business for a while, some processes seem more complicated than they should be. Many of these processes were put in place to reduce risk and variability—but how do we know when things have become too complicated? In The Collapse of Complex Societies…
When Productivity Can’t Be Measured
Measuring productivity in knowledge work is difficult. Consider these points when trying to understand productivity of knowledge work: There will never be a perfect way to measure productivity. The path I’ve chosen is to ensure everyone understands the company’s goals and is empowered to make the best decision in each situation. From there, productivity becomes…
Where Effort Should Actually Go at Work
Effort at work should be spent on the difficulty of the task—not on figuring out what to do, wading through a confusing process, or churning through dozens of marginal tasks.
When They Want Help But Don’t Need It
Sometimes people want help when they don’t need it. Sometimes they’re unsure of themselves or afraid to make a decision. Instead of deciding, they use you to make the choice for them—disguised as a request for help. They may not even realize they’re doing it. If you don’t recognize this pattern, they begin to rely…
What Actually Gets More Done
We spend a lot of time trying to be more efficient at work. But it isn’t efficiency that gets more done—it’s unbroken time on task. No special trick or organizational system matters unless it gives you more time focused on the work.
Process Fails Without the Right Environment
In one of my previous roles, operators were expected to use gloves to do their jobs. Management supplied employees with just enough gloves to get through each shift. Some operators took a few more than they immediately needed. This led to gloves running out before everyone received a pair. As a result, employees began taking…
Stop Treating Conversations Like Checklists
“You think effectiveness with people and efficiency with things.” —Stephen R. Covey, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People Be careful not to think of interactions with others as items to be checked off a list so you can move on to the next task. This mindset is one of the primary reasons we default…
Complaining About Work Ethic Won’t Fix Today’s Workforce
My generation is often described as an in-between generation, and this shapes how I view work. I was influenced by my parents to take pride in hard work, but I have also seen how employees have been treated over the last 40 years. On average, we are being asked to give more through higher productivity,…
Start With a Conversation, Not a Defense
Often, a team member receives an impractical request from another employee and immediately starts gathering information, building a case, preparing defenses and rebuttals, and scheduling meetings to argue against it. When my team member brings it to me, I ask, “Have you talked with them about this?” The answer is usually, “No.” Your first step…
Finding Alignment When You Disagree
One of the hardest things to do as a leader is to persuade your team to support something you don’t fully believe in—or even think is a bad idea. Here are several perspectives to consider when you find yourself in this situation: