At first, building systems looks like you’re doing very little, especially when others prefer to keep busy as proxy for value; even worse, I was accused of increasing rigidity by forcing processes into things that never required one.
Then the system kicked in and results started materializing while issues steadily went down, despite a brutal FTE reduction.
At first, I had the “opportunity” to work on my emotional resistance; then, it was “a great team effort that led to success”.
The early phase of building systems always looks like 'doing nothing' to people who equate busyness with value, and the pushback nearly always comes right before the payoff. Once results land, the same structure becomes 'great teamwork' in hindsight.
And the emotional resistance piece is very real, letting go of being the visible problem-solver takes more courage than staying busy.
Busy but stuck is such a painful place to be, and so so common. The work expands just enough to stop you making the changes that would actually relieve the pressure.
You’re spot on about delegation, not as a productivity hack, but as the only way to create thinking space to lead rather than just cope.
Loved the bit about working on systems to avoid the overwhelm. That whole misalignment and rwork trap is real and I've seen teams spin for weeks because nobody took time to set up the right meeting rhythms or accountabilty structures first.
At first, building systems looks like you’re doing very little, especially when others prefer to keep busy as proxy for value; even worse, I was accused of increasing rigidity by forcing processes into things that never required one.
Then the system kicked in and results started materializing while issues steadily went down, despite a brutal FTE reduction.
At first, I had the “opportunity” to work on my emotional resistance; then, it was “a great team effort that led to success”.
Oh well!
Soooo familiar.
The early phase of building systems always looks like 'doing nothing' to people who equate busyness with value, and the pushback nearly always comes right before the payoff. Once results land, the same structure becomes 'great teamwork' in hindsight.
And the emotional resistance piece is very real, letting go of being the visible problem-solver takes more courage than staying busy.
H
A horrible part of management and the workplace in general is when you are, as you say, “busy, but stuck.”
You know you need to make a change, but the busy work keeps piling in, stopping you from making the change that you need.
This is where delegation is crucial.
Busy but stuck is such a painful place to be, and so so common. The work expands just enough to stop you making the changes that would actually relieve the pressure.
You’re spot on about delegation, not as a productivity hack, but as the only way to create thinking space to lead rather than just cope.
Thanks for commenting, H
Loved the bit about working on systems to avoid the overwhelm. That whole misalignment and rwork trap is real and I've seen teams spin for weeks because nobody took time to set up the right meeting rhythms or accountabilty structures first.
So real. Teams can lose weeks to rework and overwhelm when no one pauses to set the right rhythms or accountability upfront.
It feels slower at first, but it’s usually the only thing that actually stops the spin. H