Make Sure That Everything Becomes a Routine
Reds find routine and repetitive tasks boring and lose concentration, preferring to focus on the big picture. They need others to handle details because they recognize their own weakness in that area.
THE IDEA
Mundane and repetitive tasks are the kiss of death for a Red. It’s simply boring. Reds lose their concentration and will find something else to do. Routine work is not what they’re good at. They’re lousy at details, and they know it. Someone else needs to take care of the dull, routine work, because a Red believes that he has a better understanding of the big picture.
When to use it
When assembling a project team, assign repetitive follow-up tasks to detail-oriented members, freeing Reds for high-level planning.
During a performance review, discuss workload distribution to ensure routine duties don’t hamper a Red’s motivation.
In a startup, a Red founder should hire an operations manager to handle daily processes, preserving energy for strategic decisions.
FROM THEORY TO EVERYDAY LIFE
In practice
Data entry task for a Red manager
A Red manager assigned to input weekly sales data may become distracted and make errors, preferring to brainstorm strategy instead. The task should be delegated to a detail-oriented team member.
Red entrepreneur handling operations
A Red entrepreneur who tries to manage daily accounting and scheduling gets frustrated and loses motivation. Hiring an operations specialist allows the Red to focus on growth and vision.
A MOMENT TO REFLECT
Put it to work.
What routine tasks do you find most draining, and how can you delegate or automate them?
How does your personality type affect your response to detailed, repetitive work?
In your current projects, are you playing to your strengths by focusing on the big picture, or are you getting bogged down in details?
CONTINUE THE CONVERSATION
Source texts
- Surrounded By Idiots (Thomas Erikson)