4
HR
West
®
"Productivity starts with
saving time, focusing it and
using it as effectively as possible."
T
his month’s theme is the Art of Productivity, a subject that resonates
with me as I enter my 7th week at the helm of the NCHRA. My
goal of ensuring value for our members and of “hitting the ground
running” has got me asking three questions, “Where does the time
go? Am I focusing on the right things? Am I making the right choices today?”
Because to me, productivity starts with saving time, focusing it and using it as
effectively as possible.
In a very real way, productivity is about saving time. Saved time benefits an
employer, lowering overhead costs and satisfying clients quicker. But it also
benefits employees, as effective use of time (productivity) might just allow for a
distraction-less, worry-free lunch hour, or who knows, perhaps a timely day’s
end departure to be with your loved ones in a mindful way. Time, they say, is
the one thing they’re just not making more of so we should all be open to
ideas, technologies and tools that can help us be more productive. With the
right help we can tip the time scale in our favor in a way that best serves us,
whether that’s getting more done or getting more done faster — allowing us
discretionary time.
Productivity is, in my opinion, a matter of focus as well. I have long observed co-
workers that spend their work days focused on the challenges of their private
life, only to arrive at home to worry about their unfocused work life. The point
here is that we should focus on what’s in front of us as it’s what we have a
chance to affect at that moment. I have found working with this focus leaves
me feeling clear headed when I’m done for the day because, like a professional
athlete, I have “left it all on the field.”
Finally, in my experience, productivity has a great deal to do with our choices.
The right choice today makes next week, next month and perhaps even next
year, more productive, while the wrong choice has the opposite effect. And that
choice often includes choosing the right tool. Ask any weekend handyman and
they’ll certainly tell you, choosing the right tool makes you more productive and
the job a whole lot easier.
So let’s all take the time to read this month’s
HR West
magazine with focus, and
learn how we can be better at utilizing our time, get more of what we want from
each day, and be more…well, productive.
HR
Greg Morton
Chief Executive Officer
NCHRA
415.291.1992
Executive Letter
