You don’t have to sprint all the time
There are times when a big presentation or project deadline takes extra time and effort to complete. Sometimes it’s exciting because I get to showcase my best work. Usually, it’s just a slog to finish in time and someone higher up the chain gets the glory.
Either way, sprints should be infrequent.
I’ve had roles where there was so much pressure to deliver an unrealistic workload that I ran on adrenaline for 10 – 12 hours every weekday. I’ll never do that again.
If a role requires more work than can be achieved in roughly 40 hours per week, it’s not a one-person role. If management is unwilling to prioritize then they are not the kind of employer I’d like to work for. If they load the calendar with meetings, leaving no time during the day for actual work, then it’s not the right culture for me. If they demand an excessive amount of tracking work vs. doing work, then I wouldn’t be happy. If they believe working 50 – 60 hours per week for a 40 hour per week paycheck is reasonable, then they don’t respect their employees and I wouldn’t respect them as managers.
A fast pace with long hours might produce results in the short-term, but it isn’t a sustainable model for productivity or morale. I’ve burned out from working like that in the past and I regret it. When I set boundaries and stick with them, I’m happier, I make fewer mistakes, and I meet my deadlines.
There’s no good reason to sprint all the time.
Yesterday I was reflecting on how Ford reduced the work week to improve productivity and increased morale. He changed the industry standard from 9 hours a day, 6 days a week to 8 hours a day, 5 days a week, and productivity shot up. He reduced time, to improve effort and intensity, like a true sprint. Sometimes I miss the original term for the practice of sustainable pace, which was 40 hour week in Agile. Sustainable is relative and it’s too easy for a well- rewarded manager with nothing going on outside of work to decide if they can throw 50, 60, 70 or more hours at the job, so can the team. I find that exceptional teams model for a 30 hour base with buffer for meetings and reality (drum, buffer, rope style), which creates energy and space for people to bring out their best. Focus is a force multiplier. When people have too many hours to throw at a job, the natural response is less effort, less intensity, and diffusion of focus. I underestimated the power of intensity in the past and now I put it up there with Kotter’s sense of urgency. I realize now it’s a way to generate energy, and the energy can be either an exciting game of fun, or a stressed out slog.
Great points! I love the model of a 30 hour base week that allows for buffers.