Even if not always fully aware of, our professional performance can be summarized in 3 axes.
Our evolution and professional journey will influence the weight of each of them, but they will always exist. Accepting that in an “entry-level” phase it may be more unbalanced with stronger focus on DOING (executing tasks by ourselves), it doesn’t take long until we ENTRUST (delegate and support each other, regardless of the seniority level.
This model aims to synthesize our activity in order to have a global vision, as well as make us understand that everything lies in balance. Pivoting towards one of the axes has the consequence of losing leverage in at least one of the other two remaining ones.
Here’s the “Professional Inner Balance: The 3 Axes Model”, which can be summarized with the following words: DO | ENTRUST | LEAN ON
My advice is to always take one step back (or more), since that should allow us to have a broader vision and, therefore, release ourselves from immediacy constraints and avoid any bias caused by specific and temporary situations.
This model synthesizes the 3 major areas of action/decision/execution that constantly take place in our professional life.
1. What I DO
Other people ask us to do things personally, and consequently we execute them, whether by our own decision or influenced, decided or forced by third parties based on hierarchical rank. In terms of model analysis, it is the first axis where we shall start. What does a company expect from us? To “do what” do they pay us for? What should we undertake personally if we’re beholding our own company? It should not only be our capabilities that determine it, but also the implied relevance that its delegation entails, “switching costs”, effort optimization and other related elements.
2. What I ENTRUST
Whether if we work for ourselves managing our company or for third parties, we will always end up delegating, which can be done through a vertical relationship (people whom we manage) or horizontal relationship (without a hierarchical link), internal or external. It doesn’t matter, since we are going to delegate in an unavoidable way. Delegation and trust go hand in hand, the key being the ability to accurately identify what can be delegated and what should be delegated.
3. What I LEAN ON
For task performance we’ve always had support tools at hand, which are (and should continue to be) just that: means to an end. What was once a spreadsheet or software, now can perfectly be resources as powerful such as artificial intelligence based tools.
Temptation about AI overuse is there, but within our “balanced workcycle” model it should remain on the LEAN ON axe, regardless of the seniority level of his/her user.
This model aims to synthesize our activity in order to have a global vision, as well as make us understand that everything lies in balance. Figures like the “one man orchestra” or “jack of all trades” are unusual, so we leave them aside.
Our first unbalanced situation comes from an ENTRUST excess, then in fact leading to a clear and visible DO shrinking. Sounds familiar? We tend to delegate in excess, which dramatically turns entrustment into something that could be considered as toxic management behavioral, depending obviously on “what is expected” from us.
The keyword in this model is definitely “balance”. There is where everything lies: we set corporate objectives, which are outlined in strategic and operational plans until we progress onto execution and monitoring. But in order to achieve them, we must keep our 3 circles in a harmonious balance. We should never pivot towards just one and ignore the rest, since balance is essential to achieve goals.
We simply cannot do everything by ourselves, just as we cannot delegate to the extreme (does anyone remember the “absentee boss” figure, uttermost of the “laissez faire” leader?). Support has always existed, but we must strive to not slip into a leverage excess situation.
“Should we offer our house and car keys, while also giving bank account unlimited access to the AI? We must seriously think about the consequences, with a present and clear danger related to progressive neglection of our rational capacities and numbing of some of our greatest gifts as human beings, such as abstraction hability.”
We’ve never let corporate office tools take control of our LEAN ON axe, clearly for evident reasons due to their limited (yet powerful) use, but the temptation is there when Artificial Intelligence comes knocking on our door. “Everyone else is doing it -why shouldn’t I?”. A leverage excess on the LEAN ON axe can be quickly noticeable. Files and documents done by AI (“here are the keys, I’ll be hanging around so just let me know when you’re done“) can withstand the “stress-test”, but not their users when facing and dealing with meeting presentations, once they are deprived of that very powerful backup. Away from their new “partner”, overuse can lend to succumb to that “stress test” once faced to the right questions by the right people.
The right questions. They’re there and, when perfectly shaped and accurate, they can finally unmask us in an unpolite manner. When LEAN ON slips into excess, our model could end as unbalanced in the short or medium term.
