The organization chart was getting messy. Ted had just drawn a new circle next to himself. “I think we need to hire another department manager. I just cannot get everything done.”

“Ted, tell me, how much do you get paid, on an hourly basis?”

“I don’t know, I would have to break down my salary, but let’s say I make $30 per hour, plus, plus.”

“Fine, close enough. Ted, if you look at all of the elements in your role as a manager, how many of the tasks that you do, are $30-per-hour tasks, and how many are $12-per-hour tasks? Let’s do some quick analysis, just on yesterday.”

As Ted detailed his tasks from the prior day (and you can bet I pinned him down for all the detail) he discovered that 50% of his time was engaged in preparing paperwork, printing reports, doing data entry and reconciling inventory counts. Ted didn’t need another department manager; he needed a good strong clerical support person.

As a Manager in your organization, how much $12 per hour work are you doing? -TF