Of ‘Completed Staff Work’

Of ‘Completed Staff Work’

Richa is one of those professionals you really want on your team. She is blessed with a quality that makes her really special. I chanced upon her beaming manager and asked him as to why he was so happy. It is to do with Richa and her ‘Completed Staff Work’ thing he said. A term I did not understand, and pressed for some explanation. Let me show you he said. He called Richa in my presence and asked her to get some data regarding attrition, something that would take a couple of days to prepare.

He later called me to his office. The data was neatly collated and there was a separate annexures that had a lot of insights from the attrition data. It also had some suggestions about what could be done for a few individuals who were at the risk of leaving the firm. I was really impressed and wanted to meet her. Her manager obliged.

Richa was a bright woman and full of energy. I quizzed her about the CSW. She said she learnt it from her first manager in her career. When a task is completed on time, accompanied by useful details – something that is not asked for – includes choices, and recommendations, it is ‘Completed Staff Work’, she said. It worked best when there were decisions to be made and insights would certainly help.

The key to CSW was ‘anticipating’ what a manager would need, add your insights and offer choices. Needs a bit of understanding the circumstances and context, Richa added. You also needed a supportive manager she said. It was my turn to smile. I understood why her manager was so cheerful. I had learnt something from Richa and thanked her.

As I walked into the close of the year, I made a promise to myself – I would put to work what I had learnt about ‘Completed Staff Work.’ A promise I am determined to keep in 2019 and beyond.