day 805: The Rise Of Productivity

"Our people must learn to do good by meeting the urgent needs of others; then they will not be unproductive."

The rise of productivity as a key measurement is nothing new, but in the last three years we have put the focus on this number more than I can ever remember. Analysts are obsessed with how much productivity a company is returning. That is, how much are they getting done with the least number of people they can. I mean, I get it, but taken to the extreme, which is what we tend to be doing in all that we do in the business world these days, a high productivity number can lead to unwanted results like burn-out, morale issues, turnover, etc. As in most, if not all things, moderation is called upon to help us be able to manage over the long run. If we are solely focused on the short-term and an indicator like productivity we can lose sight of the bigger picture and certainly the needs of our people. Let's not allow ourselves to become fixated on productivity as it will drive us to other measures that could be more harmful in the long run.

If each of us want to be the most productive in whatever we do, then we have to learn to give it up for ourselves in order to help and assist others. When we do that, we are being truly productive in a definition that is beyond a measure. Too much of our time can be spent on ourselves and what we want to do and we can lose what and should be our true focus. How much time are we spending on the needs of others versus our own? If seems really weird to have on our to-do list to take care of the needs of those around us, but that is what we are called to do. If we do, then we will see the rise in our productivity with a return that goes toward the Kingdom. Consider that definition of productivity for our pure and authentic measurement.

Happy Martin Luther King Day. Purposed worKING will be back on Tuesday the 17th.

Reference: Titus 3:14 (New Living Testament)

day 748: Productivity

"Our people must learn to do good by meeting the urgent needs of others; then they will not be unproductive."


What’s appears to be holding up corporate earnings is the record-high level of labor productivity. This would be no surprise to anyone who is working a job where they are doing not only the work that they were doing three years ago, but also the work of one or more other people who no longer work at the company. The same, or more is getting done with less. This increased output is call productivity. Corporations are hooked on it right now and that addiction is not likely to go away. This explains why even with revenue and price levels returning to pre-2008 that we see unemployment still so high. The other contributor to productivity is technology and how it replaces labor and speeds output. It is true that the Great Recession may have finally been the time when the workforce was finally rationalized to consider technology advances. Productivity may not be able to get any higher, but for sure it is a major driver today in our economy’s recovery.

Productivity as it is defined by God’s Word is also about working to meet needs but not against the same standards that we see in the business world. Doing a little more for the bottom line is the same, but the bottom line that we are trying to serve is much bigger and eternal. Our productivity standard is how well we meet the needs of others and how urgently we do so that they can also be productive in their service to the Lord. Today, how productive are we being for the cause of bringing Glory to God and expanding His Kingdom? It is right that we should question ourselves each day and course correct for that increased productivity!

Reference: Titus 3:14 (New Living Testament)

day 505: Turning Productivity Inside Out

If you run a business, or a part of a business, you are always looking at your productivity levels. It is a measurement that can sometimes be elusive, especially in those jobs and areas where the output is less tangibly measurable, but even so, striving for maximum productivity is one way to know that the business is performing. The government also measures this, but they do it along the lines of the amount of hours being worked versus the number of people working and productivity becomes a measure of how much "work" is being done because someone is on the job longer. We all know that just because someone is at their desk or in the office that it doesn't mean that work is getting done. What we want to know is that when people are working that they are gaining the greatest amount of efficiency and that their output is off the charts. We are looking for the "wow factor" and want to be amazed that so much was done with so little, by so few (I wish I had been the first one to use that line). As we chase productivity we also must be sure and look "inside" and see what else we can do to ensure that everything is running as well-oiled as possible. Since we are talking about humans and not machines, there is plenty to examine and inspect and it becomes hard because no two people are the same. We all boot up differently each day and life has so many variables that we become highly unpredictable and our productivity, our real productivity, can vary over a bad night's sleep, a crying baby, a stalled car, a failing relationship, a bruised ego, or just a bad mood. Paul tells us something about how to find productivity in the book of Titus. He says we have to turn it inside out and look to others first; "Our people must learn to do good by meeting the urgent needs of others; then they will not be unproductive." If we want to find productivity from those around us, and ourselves, we have to dig deep first and be sure that the urgent needs of life are solved first and then we will find productivity. Asking a car to run when it is out of oil is asking for trouble. Asking a person to be productive when they carry the weight of worries or crisis on the home front, is asking for failure. As we search for productivity, let's search for solving our core problems first and then productivity will come. This is an area where God wants to come to work with us. Let Him carry those burdens for us so we can work to His glory. Today, spend some time thinking and praying about those areas in your life and in the lives of others where if the urgent problems were solved that a new spring of productivity just might flow.

Reference: Titus 3:14 (New Living Testament)

day 41: Running In The Halls - part 3: Discipline and Training

"This job will be the death of me", he said as he pulled out of the parking lot at 10:30pm for the third time this week. The race we run with our work is a long one. The way careers are set up we can expect to spend most of our adult lives working. We do this day after day, sometimes closer to seven days a week than we want. We subtract hours from other parts of our lives, like sleep and family time, and add them to our work days. We do this month after month and year after year until one day we hit a wall and say we just can't take it any longer. It is a long and grueling race and if we were able to step back from it and see the size of the hills in front of us we would probably think differently about how we approach our work. But, trying to gain that perspective is nearly impossible, so we do out best and we slug through day by day, giving it our all, running the race the best we can. We have been exploring what Paul had to say about how to win the race of life and faith and how to finish strong for our Lord. We have applied the principles that he describes about knowing the goal/objective and focus and on how to get to the finish line. He also says in verse 27 of I Corinthians Chapter 9; "I discipline my body like an athlete, training to do what it should". I like this statement because I believe that much of the success any of us have at anything we strive to achieve comes from the preparation we do before the task. I believe it was Billy Martin, the controversial but heralded coach of the New York Yankees in the 1970's, who said, "The World Series is won in spring training". He was saying that the finish line and how the we finish is all in how we prepare, discipline and train ourselves. We can run a strong race at work if we also adopt this attitude and we begin today to train and discipline ourselves for the future and the work ahead of us. We can be stronger and have more endurance if we think of our physical bodies as the tool that allows us to operate day in a day out at our highest productivity. How we eat, sleep and exercise can make a difference. And, how strong we are spiritually before the crisis hits lets us be prepared for the times when we will be tested emotionally and physically. If we begin each day in training, both physically and spiritually, and we stay disciplined to be strong in both areas, we will stand a much better chance of completing the long race, winning along the way, and knowing that when we finish we will have finished well.

Reference: I Corinthians 9:27 (New Living Testament)

day 40: Running In The Halls - part 2: Straight Ahead

"It's a rat race around here". Ever heard that statement? What picture does it conjure up? When I hear that statement I think of a maze with two rats being let loose into the entrance and off they go working their way from one side of the other to get the cheese. Or, I see two rats running after each other, running in circles and swerves trying to catch each other. Minus the rats part, (or not minus, depending on where you work), the picture of running around like crazy or running around a maze can feel just like the office. We so many times feel like we are chasing and going from thing to thing without purpose or definition that we end up feeling like we have wasted time and energy until it just wears us down. We then wonder why we are not springing out of bed in the morning to get to work. As mentioned yesterday, Paul gives us his tips to winning the race for life and not only does he tell us to run the race to win, he also says to run with discipline and focus. In verse 26 of I Corinthians 9 he says, "So I run straight to the goal with purpose in every step. I am not like a boxer who misses his punches". What Paul was modeling for us was efficiency and productivity in reaching a goal and purpose, because we can straighten out the line between two points. When we feel like we are in the rat race at work, a place to start to fix is determining where it is that you are trying go and get very specific on that goal and purpose and "straighten out" the corners and angles that get in your way. And when at work we meander and wander and lose that purpose of why we are here in the first place, we can end up in a maze that takes us quite a bit of time to exit at the goal. The straightening out of work can happen when we part ways with those that drag us down or cause issues for the sake of causing issues, or it might be adjusting our own emotions to filter out the negative attitudes within ourselves that so often can creep in. And, it might be that we need to start afresh today with getting down to business and not spending that extra time worrying or talking about what it is that things should be, but are out of our control. There is a great feeling about finishing a race strong. The same can happen today at work for you by setting your goals and purpose for the day and running straight towards that goal keeping the distractions away until the goal is achieved. A day where on he way home you can feel great about what was achieved is a GREAT day!

Reference: I Corinthians 9:26