There are many ways to do superb work. A person may start by doing smooth work and then move on to doing stretching work. Sometimes they may take this step to deliver brilliance.
A person may sometimes do stretching work for a while but also recognise the warning signs if they move into straining. Sometimes they may do work that is harmful and can lead to needing physical or psychological surgery. Let’s explore these themes.
The Smooth Work Approach
Great workers sometimes aim to work in a smooth way. They take the following steps to increase the chances of making this happen.
They plan to pursue the
strategies most likely to succeed
Such workers prepare properly. Bearing in mind their strengths, they clarify the strategies most likely to deliver success. They then aim:
To rehearse pursuing their chosen strategies;
To rehearse managing any potential challenges;
To rehearse regaining their rhythm after managing challenges and then continuing to pursue their chosen strategies.
They plan to make things go as smoothly as possible whilst also managing how to deal with disruptions.
They pursue the strategies
most likely to succeed
Great workers move into action and aim to get an early success. Different people follow different approaches when doing their work. They may aim, for example:
To flow, focus and finish successfully;
To focus on a clear purpose, follow their principles and achieve their picture of success;
To build on their strengths, follow strategies that work and do their best to deliver success.
They will aim to follow their chosen rhythm when doing the work. Sometimes they encounter challenges, however, which involves taking the next step.
They find positive solutions
and do their best to succeed
Great workers buy time to think when faced by unexpected challenges. Different people do this in different ways. They may aim:
To keep focusing on what is happening in the green, amber and red zones and take the appropriate action;
To anticipate and prevent any potential haemorrhaging, start the healing process and solve the problems;
To buy time to think, find solutions to challenges and then continue to follow their chosen strategies.
Such workers try to make work as smooth as possible. At the same time, they prepare to deal with any bumps in the road. This helps them to increase the chances of achieving success.
The Stretching Work Approach
Great workers sometimes stretch themselves to go into another dimension. They may stretch their body, brain or other senses to go into their equivalent of the zone.
Sometimes they may stretch themselves to keep doing the basics. Sometimes to add the brilliance. Sometimes, when appropriate, they may also add the beauty.
The stretching approach can help them to expand their repertoires. They add more strategies and skills that can be used in different situations. This increases their ability to achieve success.
The Straining Work Approach
Great workers like to stretch themselves but also recognise potential danger signs. Sometimes this can happen when, for example:
They feel negative exhaustion rather than positive exhaustion … They become conscious of strains in their body and soul … They feel tense and grit their teeth … They become irritable at small things … They feel detached and elsewhere.
Some people find that stretching can be stimulating but straining can create problems. It is then important for a person to take time to heal themselves. This can also help to avoid the following stage.
The Surgery Work Approach
Some work can cause damage and lead to needing physical or psychological surgery. Some companies, for example, go beyond asking people to deliver stretch goals. They may ask people to achieve surgery goals. Their philosophy seems to be:
“People are straining every muscle to jump 2 metres but let’s move the bar up to 4 metres. We will then get lots of people to jump 2.5 metres.”
The employees may balk at first but some get on with trying to reach the new targets. They put in more hours, sleep less and strive to achieve the aims.
This approach may work for a while but there are downsides. A company may find that people resent being micromanaged, fall ill or move on to find more satisfying work.
Let’s return to your own work. Looking ahead, can you think of a situation where you may want to follow elements of the smooth work and stretching work approaches?
How can you do smooth work and then maybe move on to doing stretching work? How can you then keep doing the basics and add the brilliance? What may happen as a result of taking these steps?
If you wish, try tackling the exercise on this theme. This invites you to complete the following sentences.
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