CBC 52 Secrets

Each week I'll use the concepts of the lesson to provide examples of employee behavior or attitude; one good, one needing improvement. The needing improvement example will be associated with "Tak" and the good example will be associated with "Tik". This will be a regular feature of our weekly blog. I invite you also to add some examples of behaviors or attitudes that might exemplify Tik and Tak that week. If you would prefer, you may submit these anonymously.

January 12 (Week 16) - Focus on Results, Not Activities

"Am I busy working hard?" or "Am I busy producing results?" Wow, these are really good questions. Have you ever felt that you worked hard all week but, in the end, had nothing to show for it? Frankly, I do not believe that is what the author meant in this week's lesson because, unfortunately, we do have the kind of jobs where we tend to repeat tasks over and over and yet we don't have a "product" to show for our effort.

I think that what the author meant is this...Are you bogged down with minutia and processes to the point where you never have anything productive to show for it? Are you so wrapped up in busy work that you are not available to be productive? Today, in higher education and in business, we are being asked to be more accountable as we define, quantify and qualify - not our inputs (busy work and processes) but our outputs (outcomes and results).

At a recent assessment workshop, we heard from one community college that their student service departments regularly send data reports showing what they are doing on behalf of the college. For example, they report how many students are seen in their advising center per day during open registration, the percent of students who are off probation/suspension each quarter, their largest attended workshops, etc. In this way they not only focus on outcomes and results, but they inform the rest of the campus of their efforts. What do you think of this idea? If we were to initiate a similar program here, we'd need your assistance in capturing this data.

And, of course, we should celebrate our successes, yes? Speaking of celebrations, we'll be scheduling our winter quarter Celebration and In-Service for Friday afternoon, January 30th. Be on the lookout for more information but, one thing for sure, we'll be celebrating all of you who are participating in the "52 Secrets" project so make sure you are up-to-date with your supervisors on your journaling.

As we begin a new year, I wish all of you the best of experiences in 2009, good health, joy, and fulfillment. It is an honor to work with you all.

TIK & TAK
One day, during one of their typical morning visits with each other, Tak and Don started complaining about how much work they always seem to have. After their commiseration, Tak asked Don, “Can you believe how much Tik can get done in one day and still have time to take on more projects? Why, I’m barely able to get one thing accomplished in a day.” Don nodded in agreement. “Yeah, I sure wish I had some extra time to work on some new projects. I’m tired of doing the same stuff over and over. Maybe Tik knows a trick.” They promised to observe Tik over the next week and then to compare notes.


The following week during a coffee break, Tak and Don reported to each other what they had observed about Tik which was different from the way they worked.

  • Tik’s desk was neat and tidy. Pretty much everything Tik needed to use on a regular basis was in a binder or a special folder that was easily accessible.
  • Tik used a “To Do” list to help him organize his work day. He’d mark a star next to the items that had priority and he’d check off items as they were completed. Before he went home at the end of the day, he’d review the list. That served three purposes - it provided items for the following day’s “To Do” list; it required Tik to plan how he was going to deal with these leftover items; and it reminded Tik of what he had accomplished that day.
  • Tik’s interactions on the phone and in person were pleasant, professional but brief. He did not engage in much chit-chat. When he made a phone call, he planned out exactly what information he needed and he got right to it. He took good notes, too, that he could use as a reference in the future. When he was the one called or someone had come to him, he answered questions clearly but succinctly. And he always asked the person, “Have I answered your question or is there other information you need?”

After they compared observations, Don finally said, “You know, Tak, what I found most interesting is that Tik has a pretty good sense of the work of our department and, when he is finished with important and urgent things, he offers his help to others. Tak chimed in, “As a matter of fact, Tik came to my desk two days ago to ask if I needed help getting the mailing out. I was really grateful for that.” Coffee break over, Don and Tak went to their desks and started organizing their work areas.

Additional Reading Material: Time Management,

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