Reduce the Tasks That Frustrate Your Team

If you were to look at the tasks you perform on a regular basis, how many of them do you dread? Any dreaded tasks need to be addressed so that they can be dropped, passed on to someone who enjoys them or modified to reduce the frustration factor.

While this activity can be done independently, there is power in doing this as a team.  Having many perspectives and points of view will increase the creative thinking needed to rethink how we work.

Instructions:

1. Identify a list of frustrating tasks that your team is tolerating.  These are tasks that at least one person on the team is doing regularly that are energy draining.  
2. Choose one task.
3. Work through the following questions:
   1. What is the specific task (or part of the task) that is frustrating?  
   2. What about that task is frustrating for you, the person who performs it?
   3. How important is it to do the task EXACTLY this way?
   4. What would happen if you eliminated this task completely?  
   5. Is there someone else who would enjoy (or not be frustrated by) the task)?
   6. Is there a way to automate the task?
   7. Is there a way to simplify the task?
   8. What will you do?

Typically, when these questions are answered by a team of open-minded individuals, there will be insights on how to minimize, or completely eliminate, frustrating tasks. Often teams realize they are only doing certain tasks because they’ve always been done that way and that there are better options.

Consider working through one frustrating task at each meeting until there are none left. The act of doing this is likely to inspire new, creative ideas on how to improve efficiency AND increase joy at work.

About the Author: Leigh Ann Rodgers, Founder of Better Teams, Team Consultant Academy, and FORWARD, is an IAF Certified Professional Facilitator with 20 years of experience in the human development field. Leigh Ann is a skilled meeting facilitator, trainer, and coach working across the globe to help leaders cultivate teams that are happy and high-performing.

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