If you find yourself having a troublesome time at work, whether it's a slack in the system or non-working equipment, don't fret because a senior executive says there is a way to work less, work faster, and get better results.

Nonoy Reyes, who considers himself a "veteran" of the corporate world, says he has seen a lot of the good, the bad, and the downright stupid. A lot of work processes are like this: they look good on paper, but flounder in real life.

Reyes, who has held high-ranking positions in company giants like Purefoods and Procter & Gamble, said that his first step is to examine the manufacturing system for breakdowns like causes of delay, spoilage, and unnecessary costs. "Good systems make people feel good," he said.

In an office setting, this means you have to watch out for instances when you have to repeat or fix work submitted to you, you second-guess whether you have authority to do something, you feel unprepared for reports and meetings, and you're no longer planning but reacting to emergencies and crises.

When you see this, figure out where the glitch is coming from and figure out what needs to be changed.

Know your boss

Speaking from experience in turning billion-peso food divisions or factories back on track, Reyes said one of the key strategies is to keep an eye out for both the people working for you, and the ones above you.

"Good managers are good observers. Once you unlock the anxiety or stress triggers of the organization['s] leaders, you've already taken control of your own. You'll know where to shepherd limited resources. You'll always keep them happy without burning yourself out," he said.

The same goes for those working for you, to whom you must delegate tasks suited to their skills and take care not to burn them out lest they seek out less exhausting jobs. Morale boosts, like giving credit where credit is due or providing training opportunities, is one of the most important things to foster a good working environment.

Also, it is good to set realistic goals so that your bosses don't expect more from you than you can deliver. "Don't give him or her problems. Give solutions, but spell out the resources required, the costs you will incur, the quality he or she can expect. That way, you don't paint a fairytale--you managed what you had, which is all the company can ever expect from you," he said.

Good sytems tend to run themselves, so if every step requires your attention or approval, you're both overworking yourself and inviting blame. So delegate responsibly, and teach them to be accountable for their actions.

"The person who's responsible for a task must be allowed to make decisions related to delivering on it. But he or she has to command responsibility for it. If something goes wrong, he or she has to explain it. If something goes right, he or she gets credit," Reyes said.

All systems go

Often, Reyes says, work systems that are already in place need not be overhauled so hastily. Instead, try to figure out the cause of any inefficiencies at work. "First, check if the 'problems' are driven by misunderstanding or lack of resources. Sometimes it's a good system that is just executed poorly," he said.

Reyes added that it usually takes about 6 months to change a work habit and replace it with another, and that "the enemy of any system is a contradicting habit." At this point, any new workflow requires employees' inputs and rigorous training to acquaint them with any new system. If you train people to work well, withour error or delay, then there would be less stress for you to deal with.

If there's too much working coming in and you keep on missing deadlines, then ask yourself if certain procedures can be automated or prioritized so an output is "ready" for another department at the best time. However, define your steps with clear objectives so you don't get messy results.

"One company I worked for spent millions trying to speed up one manufacturing step because of a bottleneck, but we realized that the cost of being faster was killing our profit margins [and] defeating the purpose," he said, as an example of poor but costly steps.

Instead, optimize existing ones, and see to it that you have the cooperation of everyone involved.

Finally, Reyes said the trick is not to work harder but to work smarter by empowering people to do well and limiting your goals to the most essential tasks speedily, efficiently, and without risk. Report by Mel Panabi, Working Mom Magazine.