How Laziness Can Be More Profitable Than Hustle

There is no room for laziness in today’s economy. The habit of lethargy is punished and discouraged everywhere – at home, at school and even in the workplace. Productivity is the more favored alternative.   However, if we are to be sincerely objective, we may discover great benefits from the habits of lazy employees.

I am in no way encouraging you to be indolent or to go out and hire hopeless losers. My point is this: By actively seeking positive aspects of the lazy employee’s character, we may discover qualities that can be turned into powerful leadership tools.

Below is a very interesting list of some of the qualities of lazy employees that can be turned into leadership gold:

Lazy Employee’s Action: Their plate is always empty – They take on fewer assignments

Leadership Lesson: Delegate

As a leader, proper delegation can save you valuable time, and it helps your employees to develop useful skills. Employees will feel trusted and appreciated as they are given bigger challenges and bigger opportunities to grow. In turn, they will strive to perform at optimum levels.

Delegation helps you groom a leader from within. One who understands the culture of the company, a leader who cares for and is more likely to be loyal to the organization. Through delegation, you give the next person an opportunity to build their confidence, and you give them the benefit of practical experience to perform at a higher level.

In delegating, however, make sure that the objective is specific, measurable and realistic. Basically, you must give the right assignment to the right person.

Delegation is not merely telling someone else what to do. The task given must match the delegate in terms of skills, experience and attitude.

Lazy Employees Action     : Sleek & conniving – they manipulate others to walk their talk

Leadership Lesson             : Proper Communication is the only path to success

Poor communication with employees leads to frustration. Frustration leads to impatient communication with customers and a lack of commitment to satisfy customers’ needs. Frustration also negatively affects employee attendance and it may lead to the resignation of valuable team members.

It is often said that people don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care, so proper communication will help you to build trust, loyalty and a positive attitude.

Whereas lazy employees are manipulative and selfish in their approach, as a leader, you have to be persuasive and inspiring. Recognize that your employees are human; this means they are emotional beings. A leader should make his team feel that their contribution is valuable and appreciated. A leader gives his colleagues a sense of belonging, the gift of being listened to, respect and trust. Thank your employees for a job well done, celebrate minor successes and achievements, discuss their setbacks and help them to overcome their challenges.

Lazy Employees Action     : Complaining, gossiping, throwing tantrums

Leadership Lesson             : Create channels for 2-way feedback

Complaining is not inherently a bad thing, the trick is to structure it properly and make it constructive.

An environment where nobody ever complains is probably run with an iron-fist. Productivity and Employee morale is usually low because employees don’t feel valued. They don’t even bother trying to improve the situation because they believe their efforts will be in vain. They may not complain openly, but they’re probably talking behind closed doors, which deprives you of the opportunity to improve your company. As Oscar Wilde said, “Discontent is the first step in progress.”

Moaning is toxic. Therefore, the structure of your grievances procedure is important. Complaints must be raised at the right time, about the right problem, to the right person. Be vocal about shortcomings you have noticed amongst your employees – encourage your employees to be vocal too – and together, work out a harmonious solution.

Don’t emphasize problems. Give praise when it is due.

Encourage and inspire your team.

Lazy Employees action     : Avoids the “dirty” work

Leadership Lesson             : Innovate, use leverage – look for simpler, more effective alternatives.

“Leverage is the ability to multiply yourself

by using other mediums to do the work for you.”

Remember the Pareto principle (the 80/20 rule)? Of course you do! It states that 20% of your inputs are responsible for producing 80% of your results. Understanding and applying leverage can accelerate the realization of your goals. Assess your systems and procedures, discover the 20% of activities that give you the majority of your results and focus on those. Never completely neglect the 80%, but always pay special attention to the 20%.

Leverage can reduce the time you spend on a task, the effort it takes to complete the task and the cost of completing the task. Leverage is not working harder – it is working smarter. Leverage lets you multiply your gains. It gives you more free time to really live life. It leads to higher productivity margins and it also boosts staff and customer satisfaction.

Leverage is your friend – use it wisely.

Be a visionary leader. Groom and develop your employees.

Remember to delegate assignments when you feel overwhelmed. Inspire and motivate your team to perform at their best.

Build channels for 2-way feedback.

Create a healthy and happy working environment.