In a world of constant urgency, better work can start with doing less – more deliberately.
Host David Pembroke is joined by Mark Hocknell, consultant, author and speaker, to explore why ‘shallow’ work is creeping into organisations and what it is costing performance. They discuss the pressure leaders place on teams to produce more activity faster, how that drives task-focused planning instead of outcomes, and why genuine improvement needs deep thinking, evidence and step-change interventions. Mark also shares practical ideas for carving out time, choosing the right measures and creating a culture where teams can focus on what matters most for communities and customers.
KEY POINTS
- Shallow work misses what matters: Quick answers and time pressure can crowd out deep thinking, leading to plans that lack insight and fail to shift outcomes.
- Leaders set the tempo: When leaders pass down urgency and firefighting, teams lose the space to focus on outcomes and meaningful improvement.
- Prioritise outcomes over activity: Clear outcomes help teams stop chasing task lists and instead measure what is changing for communities and customers.
- Continuous improvement is step change: Improvement rarely happens by doing the same thing ‘a bit better’ every day; it needs deliberate interventions and learning from evidence.
- Focus on one outcome at a time: Limited capacity means teams are more likely to improve performance when they concentrate on a single priority outcome, not dozens of competing goals.
Links mentioned in the podcast:
Profit by Design: How to Build a Customer Portfolio Full of Profitable Promoters (Mark Hocknell): Book mentioned by Mark Hocknell
https://www.amazon.com.au/s?k=Profit+by+Design+How+to+Build+a+Customer+Portfolio+Full+of+Profitable+Promoters+Mark+Hocknell
PuMP (Performance Measurement Process): Performance measurement methodology mentioned in the episode (developed by Stacey Barr)
https://www.staceybarr.com/pump/
Team of Teams: New Rules of Engagement for a Complex World (Stanley McChrystal): Leadership book referenced in the discussion
https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/231444/team-of-teams-by-general-stanley-mcchrystal/
Mentoring for Growth (Queensland Government): Small business mentoring program Mark referenced
https://www.business.qld.gov.au/running-business/growing-business/business-growth/mentoring-for-growth
Queensland University of Technology (QUT) – Master of Business Administration (MBA): MBA program mentioned (Mark developed elective subjects for QUT’s MBA)
https://www.qut.edu.au/courses/master-of-business-administration
Mark Hocknell – website: Mark’s website (blog posts and videos mentioned)
https://markhocknell.com/
Mark Hocknell – LinkedIn: Mark’s LinkedIn (contact point mentioned in the episode)
https://www.linkedin.com/search/results/all/?keywords=Mark%20Hocknell
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