Bookmark This! Show Your Work Edition – HR Bartender
Estimated reading time: 3 minutes
This might be an unpopular statement, but I like math. I love puzzles and word games. I play the Wordle, Quordle, Octordle, and Sedecordle every day. LOL!
The reason I’m bringing up my love of math and puzzles is because often when you do these activities, you have to “show your work”. It’s not just coming up with the right answer. It’s about also using the right process. The idea of showing your work is important. Because you might get to a right answer the wrong way. Or use the right reasoning but not reach the right answer. So, showing your work can be very helpful in problem solving.
If you translate the “show your work” concept to the business world, both managers and employees have opportunities to show their work. Managers can share with employees a decision as well as how the company reached that decision. Employees can show the organization how they’ve streamlined a process or procedure to save time or improve quality.
I recently wrote a couple of articles for The Workforce Institute about how managers and employees can show their work. I hope you’ll check them out.
Show Your Work: How Managers Can Gain Greater Buy-in from Employees
Managers who show their work will find their job gets easier. Employees know they’re getting good information to help them in their jobs. The team will excel, which lifts the entire organization.
The key to showing your work well is almost to move it from “that thing you do” to something you just do all the time. Like a regular habit. Maybe it starts with asking the question, “When did I show my work today?” Then it won’t be too long before managers are showing their work all the time.
Show Your Work: Encouraging Employees to Share Ideas
Employees want to know that their work makes a difference. They want to know that they have a future with the organization. Creating an environment where employees can openly show their work allows that to happen.
Employees who regularly show their work and have a positive impact on the organization are probably the organization’s high-potential/high-performing employees. If they’re not already considered that, then the organization might want to ask themselves why not.
Right now, organizations are looking for ways to be more effective and efficient. Creating an environment where employees feel comfortable showing their work can be very beneficial. It’s equally beneficial for the employee because they’re gaining knowledge and experience.
Now is a perfect time to think about how the organization can bring showing your work into the things they do every day – in one-on-one meetings, shift briefings, department meetings, and even client conversations. Because the more we show our work, the better we get at solving problems and creating solutions.
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