In praise of laziness.
Recently I ran across a fascinating management strategy: Promote the lazy.
Back in the late 1800s, there was a brilliant German general named Helmuth von Moltke who was in charge of personnel for the German army. Famous for his brand of austere discipline, you would expect him to promote people with the same driven nature. Instead, Moltke took a different approach.
He divided the German officer corps into four categories:
- Mentally dull and physically lazy.
- Mentally bright and physically energetic.
- Mentally dull and physically energetic.
- Bright and lazy.
The first group (lazy dullards) were given simple, repetitive, unchallenging tasks.
You would assume that the second group (bright and energetic) would be the cream of the crop. However Moltke viewed these officers as obsessive micromanagers which led them to be poor leaders. He never promoted this type to a commanding officer level.
Group three (busy dullards) was considered the most dangerous. Moltke viewed them as nothing more than mistake generators needing constant supervision. These officers caused so many problems, many were simply dismissed.
The last group (bright and lazy) contained those officers Molke promoted to the highest levels of the German military. Why did he want lazy people in charge? Moltke determined that this group is smart enough to see what needs to be done but lazy enough to find the easiest, most direct way to succeed. And of course such an person won't get mired in the details, but will delegate those chores to his staff. Better yet, he would rather take a long lunch than micromanage his subordinates.
Reading this story reminded me of a great conservative political principle from President Calvin Coolidge: "When you see ten problems rolling down the road, if you don't do anything, nine of them will roll into a ditch before they get to you."
Instead of spending your time chasing after every perceived issue, spend your time identifying the one that actually matters. That way you can quickly address it, then get back to your hammock.
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11/28/2007 11:31 AM
kirkwalsh.com wrote:
A post today over at ExUrban League made me laugh and think at the same time. It’s about a German officer that separated his troops into four different groups based on intelligence and work ethic. He found the best group to promote was the smart ...
Ah sweet validation!~) But sadly I'm a officer without a staff.
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According to that theory, I'm overqualified to be the CEO of GM.
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Finally, I've found a category (4) that suits me down to the ground. I'm always looking for the easiest way to do things; my one virtue (laziness) has been discouraged since childhood. Now I can relax and go be myself. Go Fred!
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Thanks for visiting, Helen. My motto is, "Don't just do something, stand there!"
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THE ART OF PRODUCTIVE LAZINESS
What is productive laziness
'Progress isn't made by early risers. It's made by lazy men trying to find easier ways to do something.' Robert Heinlein (1907 - 1988)
Woody Allen once said ‘80% of success is showing up’, I’m not so sure about that, I have seen projects where there was a physical project manager around but you would never have believed that looking at the project progress, or lack of progress.
No, better I believe to appreciate that of the things you do during your day, only 20 percent really matter. Those 20 percent produce 80 percent of your results.
So, you should identify and focus on those things during your working day.
Science behind the laziness – being smart
It’s no good just being lazy; you have to be better than lazy, you have to be lazy in a very smart way.
Productive Laziness is not just about being lazy, it requires something more and that is a powerful and magical combination of laziness and intelligence. Smart lazy people have a real edge over others in society and are most suited to leadership roles in organizations.
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I feel some validation for preaching to my students (mathematics) that one of the prime qualities of a good math student is laziness. ;o/
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