Apply S.A.M, from busy to productive

Walk into any office (or log into any Slack channel), and you will see people working incredibly hard. They are answering emails. They are attending meetings. They are updating spreadsheets.

They are exhausted.

But ask yourself: Is the business actually moving forward?

Too often, the answer is "kind of." The problem isn't laziness. The problem is that we measure work by activity ("Did I finish my list?") rather than impact ("Did I help the business win?").

When we operate with an inward mindset, we focus on our output. When we operate with an outward mindset, we focus on our impact on others' output.

To make that shift—to turn "busyness" into "velocity"—you need a simple operating system. You need to Apply S.A.M.

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The S.A.M. Framework

S.A.M. stands for See Others, Adjust Efforts, Measure Impact. It is the operational heartbeat of an outward mindset. It stops you from blindly executing tasks and forces you to align your work with the reality of the people around you.

How to use it (step-by-step)

Use this framework whenever you feel stuck, overwhelmed, or misaligned. It takes 10 minutes, and it saves hours of wasted effort.

Step 1: See others (the context)

Stop looking at your to-do list. Look at the people you impact. Ask: What are they actually trying to accomplish right now?.

• Your Boss: Is she trying to close a budget gap?

• Your Customer: Are they trying to impress their boss?

• Your Team: are they trying to clear a backlog so they can go home on time?

If you don't know what they need, your "hard work" is just noise.

Step 2: Adjust efforts (the pivot)

This is the accountability step. Ask: How have I gotten in their way?.

• Did I send that data in a confusing format?

• Did I delay an approval?

• Have I been "neglecting" them by not sharing critical info?

Then, ask the golden question: Given what they need, what should I do differently right now?. This is where you pivot from "doing your job" to "being helpful."

Step 3: Measure impact (the proof)

Most people stop at Step 2. They make the change and assume it worked. Don't assume. Measure.

Ask: How will I know if I actually helped?.

• Don't just send the new report. Ask, "Did this save you time?"

• Don't just change the meeting time. Ask, "Is this slot better for your workflow?"

Accountability isn't doing the thing. Accountability is ensuring the thing worked.

Why This Matters 

The S.A.M. framework changes the definition of "high performance."

• Old Definition: I did what I was told.

• New Definition: I saw a need, I adjusted my work to meet it, and I verified that it helped.

This creates agility. When your entire organization is constantly "Seeing, Adjusting, and Measuring," you don't need a heavy-handed management structure. You have a self-correcting ecosystem of leaders.

Stop being busy. Start being impactful.

See it in Action:

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Can I use this for my whole team?

A: Yes. It is a fantastic team meeting exercise. Have everyone draw their map and score their key relationships. It immediately highlights the "blind spots" where the team is disconnected from its stakeholders.

Q: What do I do if my Impact Score is low?

A: That is a signal to act. Use the Impact Check-In tool to go have a conversation with that person. Ask them, "I realized I don't fully know how my work affects yours. Can we chat about what you need from me?"

Q: Is this just for leadership?

A: No. Every single employee impacts someone. Even an individual contributor impacts their peers and their manager. If they don't know who they impact, they are flying blind.