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Productivity doesn't improve by piling on more work and higher expectations. It improves when leaders stop designing work that fights against how people actually operate. I've watched teams spend months building these thorough, thoughtful planning systems, only to have half the group quietly abandon them within weeks. And not because anyone was being difficult. The structure just didn't fit how those people work. That kind of friction never shows up on a CRM dashboard, but believe me, it compounds fast. Another tool isn't going to fix it. Start with understanding how your people actually solve problems. That's the part most leaders skip. I wrote about this for Fast Company 👉 link in the comments.

Most leaders I talk to think they have a productivity problem, but what they actually have is a work design problem. Teams get a new tool, a restructured workflow, or an engagement push with a catchy name... It helps for a bit. Then a few months later, the same questions are back. What's getting missed is that the work itself is fighting against how people naturally solve problems. A recent workplace survey found that 42% of employees lose roughly a full workday each week to that friction alone. There aren't any new processes that can fix that. The starting point is understanding how your people actually approach problems, not just what they're capable of or how motivated they are. When work fits how someone naturally operates, you stop chasing productivity. It starts to happen on its own (or what I like to call "in the zone"). David Kolbe wrote about this for Fast Company. Link in comments.

𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗶𝘀 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗠𝗢? 3-5-8-3 7-7-5-2 8-5-3-5 7-7-2-5 6-7-7-2 7-7-2-4 8-2-7-3 2-2-10-2 9-6-2-3 4-3-8-4 7-7-2-5 8-6-3-3 7-6-3-3 8-4-4-3 7-4-4-5 8-8-3-2 5-3-9-2 6-8-3-4 6-7-4-3 7-8-4-2 8-7-3-2 7-4-6-4 ......𝗮𝗱𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗹𝗶𝘀𝘁!

That thing you keep apologizing for at work? It might be your superpower. Having a 3 in Fact Finder is mine. Everybody has to gather and share information. Pretty obvious, right? But some of us...🖐️ me!.. naturally use bullets, simplify, and get right to the point. My strength to simplify and stay above the fray helps cut through a lot of complexity in our business. Not everybody is like me, though. My friends like David Kolbe ask a lot of questions and NEED context before getting started. Others need a little more info than I do and mediate between the extremes. They edit and paraphrase. Here's the secret… 3 in Fact Finder is MY superpower, but having all these types of people is the key to a truly productive team. Yes, David and I can stress each other out sometimes, but we need that push and pull. If everybody gets lost in the weeds, you'll never get anything done—analysis paralysis. If you only ever get the bullets, you'll overlook important info and make costly mistakes. The best leaders have figured this out and make sure to have a balance of strengths on every project team. So what's the thing YOU keep apologizing for? It might be exactly what your team needs.

Most “time management” advice is useless without this: Clarity on how you naturally get things done. If you’re making decisions in ways that go against your instinctive strengths, no planner, app, or routine will save you. Align your work with your instinctive strengths and you won’t just save time—you’ll save energy, focus, and sanity.

What if the biggest driver of turnover isn't what you think? New research reveals a striking pattern: 42% of professionals spend more than a full day each week working AGAINST their natural strengths. Our latest Workplace Reality Report studied 1,000+ professionals and uncovered something fascinating: while fair pay matters, the ability to work in alignment with your instinctive strengths rivals compensation as a top driver of satisfaction. When roles align with how people are naturally wired to take action, retention goes up, energy stays high, and productivity improves. Read the full report and discover how understanding instinctive strengths can transform your retention strategy... → https://lnkd.in/gfMgbdnw