Manager’s Activities vs. Output
In the book High Output Management, Grove gave an example of how many middle managers mistake activities—such as error detection, resource allocation, and providing directions—for output.
So what is output, and why does the difference between activity and output matter?
Activities are achieved through the trivial and messy things we do every day: meetings, spreadsheets, reports, site visits, etc. These actions are the medium through which we achieve what we really intend to do—gathering information, passing on information, making decisions, influencing people, and so forth. Output, on the other hand, is defined as final results: the number of clients you onboarded last month, last quarter’s advertising revenue, or this week’s sales figures. In many organisations, output is called objectives. The greater leverage the medium has, the greater the output will be.
It’s important to distinguish between the two. Focusing on output is key to improving managerial productivity, whilst trying to increase activities will do the opposite. For example, the number of weekly sync-up meetings or 1-2-1s isn’t important—what matters is whether you gather enough information to make the right decisions.