Discipline is a terrible thing to rely on to get things done, especially in a corporate environment. One can probably white-knuckle a few difficult tasks, but human discipline is limited, we get distracted, irritated, hungry, or plain run out of energy, and our discipline melts away.
So what alternatives do companies have to get things done? Four suggestions:
Systemize: break down large deliverables into smaller, more immediate tasks. Instead of tasking teams with “get this done”, ask teams to “finish these tasks”, which overcomes the human tendency to procrastinate when they don’t know where to start or can’t see the end result of their work. This has the added benefit of understanding the real complexity/size of the deliverable, and uncover any hidden gaps or dependencies
Automate: use software to setup “in your face” reminders of the most critical tasks and deliverables. These shouldn’t be easily dismissed or worked around. For example, you can’t accept more tasks until you’ve completed the ones in-hand. A manager can’t assign more than a certain number of tasks per person, or something will need to be pushed back. Cross-link tasks: the review for project A can’t happen until tasks for project B are completed (with B being a higher priority)
Incentivize: nothing says “this is important” as much as being directly measured on it. Annual bonuses for adherence to metrics work, but there are other currencies: a public leaderboard that highlights “on-time” performance, leadership recognition of adherence to deliverables, a competition to see who delivers the best results
Normalize: this takes longer and is harder to do, but creating a norm that “things get done here in a certain way because that’s how we operate” is powerful motivator. We meet deadlines, we complete tasks, we take ownership, we act with accountability, these are norms which if applied company-wide, especially at the leadership level, are powerful social reminders of how to behave – discipline not needed
What are you tricks to overcome wilting discipline? Share your thoughts below.
