Years ago, I started to branch out of managing the financial aspect of a paper mill to engage more with the operating side of the business. The mill manager at the time thought it would be a great idea for me to be the night manager during our annual operations outage.
The key responsibilities for the ten-day assignment:
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Work from 6PM to 6AM each day
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Provide safety leadership to ensure all the 500+ people worked safely
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Ensure all the maintenance and capital projects stayed on schedule
The assignment was very straightforward, easy to understand, and incredibly hard to execute.
There were over twenty-five “jobs” going on each night. There were numerous contractors and employees performing non-routine tasks. We were not running machines but were making major repairs and installations in a very tight timeline.
The first two nights were miserable. I walked miles monitoring projects, making adjustments, redirecting resources, and trying my best not to fail. I was playing not to lose and the twelve-hour shifts made for a very long night.
I couldn’t take that approach for eight more nights.
I went in an hour early on that third night, sat in the cafeteria, and came up with a different approach. This approach is one that I have now taught others for years in various aspects of work and life.
Block Management (with a PLUS focus):
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I divided the night into twelve blocks of time
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Near the top of every hour, I would decide where I would invest the next 55 minutes
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I would intentionally attack the biggest need within that block of time
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I would then regroup, adapt, and plan the next hour
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My goals were no longer to avoid failure, but to make a positive impact in that block
The night became manageable (blocks of time) and the focus turned to positive impact (not negative avoidance).
Over the years, I have shared this approach with supervisors managing a crew on a long shift, individuals going through prolonged medical treatment, athletic teams facing a long season/tough game, or others facing overwhelming circumstances.
I recall using a similar approach when I was studying for the CPA exam (evenings after work) years earlier. Breaking down an overwhelming obstacle into manageable pieces and pursuing positive (PLUS) actions within those blocks of time is the approach.
Is there something in your life right now that seems overwhelming?
Do you find yourself focused on avoiding a negative rather than pursuing a positive?
Could a PLUS focused block management approach help you?
Doug equips leaders to make organizations better. He has two leadership books available on all online platforms. Whether you are looking for a speaker for your next event or a leadership coach to develop people and build an authentic team, contact Doug at doug.strickel@gmail.com and learn more about PLUS.
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