+1 (425) 442-3274 jonathan@sandcastlecompany.com
Select Page

The Culture+ Blog

Insights to help you create a compelling and connected culture

From repetitive tasks to discreet projects

Work is forever changing.

The essence of the change is that a person’s work is irreversibly transitioning from repetitive tasks to discreet projects.

Many jobs now and in years past required the worker to show up and repeat one task or a set of tasks throughout the day. Think about motor vehicle factory line workers. Think about bank tellers. Think about call centers attendants. Task-based work won’t ever completely disappear, but technology is “helping” us out. And, it turns out that technology can do repetitive tasks way better than we can. Fewer mistakes, less cost, doesn’t get carpal tunnel.

The arc is that better technology will continue to nibble away at repetitive tasks until they are mostly ancillary to what people do for money.

Technological change doesn’t mean we hit the couch and call it a day, though. Instead, how we add value will change. 

Repetitive tasks will be handled by the bots, and our job will be something else. A step above. Connecting the dots. Maintaining relationships. Implementing new ideas.

Leaders need to smell the coffee on this one. Smelling the coffee means reevaluating the work of our teams. Yes, near term stuff still needs to get done, biz as usual. But how can we start setting them up for success in the new world of work?

by Jonathan

Jonathan Wilson is the CEO of Sandcastle, a leadership training and development consultancy. He frequently speaks and writes about building high performance teams. Jonathan regularly presents his latest findings and insights to business and government leaders at local, state, and national association events (both in-person and virtual). His first book, Future Leader: Rebooting Leadership to Win the Millennial and Tech Future is available now.

Tagged: Leadership

Published on: December 12, 2019

You might also like…

The “be first” philosophy

Be first. It's not about first place.Be the first one to congratulate the winner. It's not winning the argument.Be the first one to shift to positive energy and real solutions. It's not about being right.Be the first one to admit when you are wrong. It's not about...