Skip to main content

How To Use The CPR Business Efficiency Framework To Eliminate A Team's Pain Points

In Nick Sonnenberg’s book, Come Up For Airyou’ll learn about his CPR Business Efficiency Framework, which stands for: 

  • Communication
  • Planning
  • Resources 

This framework focuses on eliminating the pain points most teams experience by optimizing these three operation areas foundational to every organization.

“In my book, I show you the tools that will boost efficiency in all three of these domains and I provide you with a detailed blueprint for the most effective ways to use them,” explains Sonnenberg.

He further shares that some sections of the book may be more applicable to managers, and some may be more applicable to individual contributors. “However, it is still integral that both roles understand all of the concepts within the CPR Framework as each one benefits the team as a whole,” says Sonnenberg.

As you read the book, you’ll learn what Sonnenberg has learned through years of building a leading efficiency consulting business – that the primary reason why so many teams are overwhelmed is not because they don’t have enough time, or that managers expect too much of their employees, or that there aren’t enough people. The problem is that everyone is drowning in unnecessary work and inefficiencies that prevent them from focusing on the work that drives results.

Sonnenberg believes that by implementing the CPR Framework, you and your team will:

  • Reduce stress and burnout by creating a more stable work environment.
  • Eliminate the 58% of employee time per day spent on “work about work” instead of being productive.
  • Improve company culture by empowering your team to spend their time on work that matters.
  • Stop wasting time on the “Scavenger Hunt” of trying to find where information is stored.
  • Increase employee happiness, satisfaction, trust, and retention by making work easier.
  • Stop wasting time in meetings with four proven techniques.

Additionally, supplementing the teachings found within the book, Sonnenberg provides you with more learning opportunities via free content and in-depth instructions at ComeUpForAir.


Nick Sonnenberg

Play special attention to the Three Key Takeaways and Pro Tips that expertly summary each respective chapter's teachings. 

Earlier this year, Sonnenberg shared these insights with us:

Question: How long does it typically take for an organization/company to fully embrace and fully benefit from the CPR Framework?

Sonnenberg: It depends on so many factors, such as:

  • how big is the team?
  • how tech savvy?
  • how willing to adopt change?
  • how bought in is the leadership in the transformation?
  • what tools is the team using already?

On average, however, it takes about a month per tool IF you invest the time to learning and show up.

Question: You say that even a team using the best systems and tools on the market can still be inefficient and drown and in work. What’s the missing link there?

Sonnenberg: The missing link is that teams aren’t aligned on when and how to use each tool in the same way. One person likes email, another likes Slack, someone else keeps track of everything in a spreadsheet, etc.

When everyone is using different tools in different ways, information starts to live in different places, and it makes work needlessly confusing. It becomes difficult to get everyone on the same page. So, a huge part of the solution is simply aligning as a team on when to use which tools, and then establishing some baseline knowledge around how to use them efficiently.

Question: What do you mean when you say that by using your CPR method that people can potentially free up a whole workday of productivity?

Sonnenberg: The reality is that there are thousands of inefficiencies in most businesses, and almost everyone is struggling with the same things. We’re all wasting time in meetings, searching for information, chasing people for status updates, endlessly checking email, getting distracted by notifications. The CPR Framework focuses on tools that most companies are already using, and it can quickly fix a lot of those common inefficiencies.

We find that, on average, we’re able to save people at least five, but more like eight hours per week just by optimizing when and how they use their tools as a team. And that’s time that people can either reinvest into the business, or if they’re underwater, it means they can go home at a normal hour, and they don’t have to keep playing “catch up” or working on the weekends.

Question: How do you define productivity?

Sonnenberg: There’s a famous quote from Peter Drucker that says, “Efficiency is doing the thing right. Effectiveness is doing the right thing.” To me, productivity is when you’re being both efficient and effective with your time.

Question: Any favorite personal hacks you yourself like to use?

Sonnenberg: Loom is a fantastic tool I use almost every day. It lets you create a recording of your screen and webcam with just one button, and when you’re done it converts the video to a link so you can instantly share it with anyone. It saves me tons of time, especially running a remote company.

Question: With all the systems and tools on the market, how do you even begin to select the right tools for you and your team?

Sonnenberg: Well, you’ll be happy to hear that the actual software you choose doesn’t really matter. What really matters is understanding which types of tools to use, and when and how to use them.

For example, Slack and Microsoft Teams are both “internal communication tools.” They effectively do the same thing, and they have mostly the same features. It doesn’t really matter whether you’re on Slack or Microsoft Teams—they’re both going to get the job done. What matters is that you and your team are aligned on when and how to use that tool in conjunction with your other tools. And the same could be said for work management tools, knowledge base tools, etc.

Question: You say individual productivity is necessary but not sufficient for team productivity. What can co-workers do right now to get more on the same page?

Sonnenberg: I think the biggest thing is to optimize for the speed of retrieval of information. What this means is that when you have a document, message, file, update—whatever it may be—you should really stop and think for a second about where the best place to put it is. Because chances are, someone in the future is going to need to find that thing.

It might be easier for you to just put it in an email or call someone to let them know. But that’s how things get lost, and you could be making your coworkers’ lives a lot harder in the future. So just take a step back and spend the extra few minutes to put things in the right place, where they won’t get lost, and you can save your entire team a ton of time in the future.

Thank you to the book's publisher for sending me an advance copy of the book.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Ask Your Customers To Help You Write Your Strategic Plan

Mike Brown, the founder of the Kansas City company called, The Brainzooming Group, encourages business leaders to solicit feedback from their customers when creating a strategic plan. Brown recently wrote in Smart Companies Thinking Bigger magazine, that you should “ask a group of current, former and potential customers the following questions:" If you’re a current or former customer, why did you start using us? What have we done in the past to make your biggest challenges more difficult? If you still use us, why do you continue to do so? If you don’t use us currently, what are some of the reasons why you don’t? “These questions are designed to allow your customers to share their perspectives and opinions openly, not rate performance on a numerical scale,” explained Brown. He explained that the answers to the questions will provide you valuable insight into : Your current strengths and weaknesses Opportunities to more successfully help your customers Potential challen...

Use A Board Of Advisors

David Burkus often provides valuable comments to my various Blog postings, and he's a person who effectively uses a board of advisors, instead of mentors, to help him achieve success. "I've found that in my life, it was easier and more effective to set up a board of advisors," said Burkus, the editor of LeaderLab . "This is a group of people, three to five, that have rotated into my life at various times and that speak into it and help me grow. I benefit from the variety of experience these people have." LeaderLab is an online community of resources dedicated to promoting the practice of leadership theory. Its contributors include consultants and professors who present leadership theory in a practitioner-friendly format that provides easy-to-follow explanations on how to apply the best of leadership theory. Community users can download a variety of research reports and presentations about leadership and leadership versus management. For example, a pr...

Top Five Factors That Drive Employee Loyalty

A 2010 survey by the Society for Human Resource Management shows that job security is what matters most to employees. And, having that job security helps to keep employees loyal.  Okay, that's really not too surprising during these times of high unemployment. Next on the list is benefits . The unstable economy, coupled with rising health care costs, make employer offered benefits more important than ever. Third on the top five list is an employee's opportunity to use his/her skills . When employees feel good about their jobs and their abilities, and clearly know they are contributing to their organization they remain engaged and loyal.  In fourth place is an organization's financial stability . Compensation came in fifth on the top five list. Employee pay often is not the most important driver for employee retention.  Despite study after study that shows pay is not the top reason employees stay with a company, research results like these often surpris...

5 Tips For Generating Ideas From Employees

Your employees have lots of ideas.  So, be sure you provide the forums and mechanisms for your employees to share their ideas with you.  Hold at least a few brainstorming sessions each year, as well. And, when you are brainstorming with your employees, try these five tips: Encourage ALL ideas.  Don't evaluate or criticize ideas when they are first suggested. Ask for wild ideas.  Often, the craziest ideas end up being the most useful. Shoot for quantity not quality during brainstorming. Encourage everyone to offer new combinations and improvements of old ideas.

Resolve To Find A Mentor In 2011

Having a mentor is one of the best things you can do to advance your career as a leader. So, decide today to secure a mentor who will work with you during 2011. Make that one of your New Year’s resolutions. A mentor can benefit leaders new to their leadership role and they can benefit experienced and seasoned leaders, as well. A strong mentoring relationship allows the mentor and the mentee to develop new skills and talents, to build confidence, and to build self-awareness. Proper mentoring takes a commitment from both parties and it takes time to develop and to reap the rewards of the relationship. Plan to work with your mentor for no less than three months, and ideally for six months or longer. When seeking out a mentor, think about these questions: 1.  Will the relationship have good personal chemistry? 2.  Can this person guide me, particularly in the areas where I am weakest? 3.  Will this person take a genuine interest in me? 4.  Does this person ha...

Do You Really Need To Read Leadership Books?

The answer is yes.  And, fortunately, there are lots out there to select from.  However, if you don't have time to read books about how to be an effective and good leader, you can select a few words from the list below and then practice what those words mean, as you lead your team every day. Leaders on the LinkedIn Executive Suite group came up with these nearly 50 words in answer to a discussion topic I posted in the group forum:  " A Good Leader Is [insert one word]."  A big thank you to that group for this valuable list. Accountable Adaptable Approachable Authentic Aware Bold Brave Candid Caring Clear Challenging Charismatic Compassionate Courageous Credible Decisive Dedicated Ethical Empowering Engaged Fearless Forward-Thinking Gracious Honest Humble Inclusive Influential Inspiring Intuitive Loyal Mindful Moral Motivating Objective Open Passionate Pro-active Receptive Responsible Respectful Skilled S...

Reach Communications & Leadership Expert David Grossman Via His New App

If you haven't engaged with David Grossman's website, Blog and incredibly useful eBooks, make a point of checking them all out at his website for The Grossman Group. David just launched his new App, called " Ask David ."  Via the App, David promises to bring his communications industry expert advice and wisdom right to your fingertips. Topics covered include: Employee engagement Internal communications Change management Leadership effectiveness Crisis messaging Diversity and inclusion

Great Business Quote

Here's a great quote from author and speaker Harvey Mackay : "When a person with money meets a person with experience, the person with the experience ends up with the money, and the person with the money ends up with the experience."

What To Think About For Next Year

Hopefully, 2011 will be better for most businesses.  As you start to think about what you can add into your budget and plan for 2011 (that you may have cut from your budget the past couple years), consider these "best company" practices for your workplace: •Mentoring programs, especially for new employees •Volunteer opportunities/days •Lunches with the CEO or president •On-site wellness fairs •Pep rallies •Telecommuting programs •Summer picnics for employees and their families •Retention bonuses •Lending libraries •Unlimited sick days •Employee team sports after hours, such as bowling and baseball •On-site child care services •Awarding vacation time in exchange for community volunteering time •Employee pot-luck breakfasts •Monthly birthday parties •On-site fitness equipment •Frequent town hall meetings with upper management •Subsidized gym memberships •Leadership development programs •Time given to employees to spend on work related items outside their ...

Give Positive Feedback. Don't Praise.

There is an important difference between giving your employees positive feedback and giving them praise . Positive feedback focuses on the specifics of job performance. Praise, often one-or two-sentence statements, such as “Keep up the good work,” without positive feedback leaves employees with empty feelings. Worse yet, without positive feedback, employees feel no sense that they are appreciated as individual talents with specific desires to learn and grow on the job and in their careers, reports Nicholas Nigro, author of, The Everything Coaching and Mentoring Book . So, skip the praise and give positive feedback that is more uplifting to your employees because it goes to the heart of their job performance and what they actually do. An example of positive feedback is : “Bob, your communications skills have dramatically improved over the past couple of months. The report that you just prepared for me was thorough and concise. I appreciate all the work you’ve put into it, as...