Most meetings should have an agenda. Why are you there, what are you trying to accomplish, how long it will take. That is just good business.
Sometimes, though, an agenda is the last thing you need. The purpose of the meeting is just to be together, and what happens is what happens. Lunch with a friend, or breakfast with your spouse are often like that. The point is the person, not the meeting.
We run into trouble when we mix the two. No agendas at work lead to wasted time, since the people are not that important, and nothing gets accomplished. Having an agenda when you are romancing your wife is also a bad idea, it turns out (what, you don't want to look over our budget during dinner?).
So think about it before the meeting. If it needs an agenda, get one or cancel the meeting. If it does not, drop your preconceived notions. Just do not get confused.
Friday, November 20, 2009
Thursday, November 19, 2009
5 reasons to make everyone in your company reapply for their job
- Your maximum productivity targets are being exceeded.
- Morale is uncomfortably high.
- You lack the organizational will to cut staff strategically.
- Unintended consequences are your cup of tea (they're like a box of chocolates...you never know what you're going to get).
- The reorganization was moving too quickly and you'd prefer to drag it out.
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
Safety first...after you show you care.
At Shell, we are big on safety. We have big programs and we talk about it a lot and we are serious about it. We have to be. Our job is to extract, transport, process, and sell some of the most flammable, explosive, and toxic chemicals on earth. Safety matters, big time.
Yet sometimes all the talk falls flat. Sometimes it feels rote, like our leaders talk about safety because they are supposed to, not because they really care whether everyone goes home in the same condition they came to work in. Why is that? How can something so important end up sounding insincere?
I think it is because we all get cynical. All the talk about safety can quickly become a matter of statistics, lost time, and bad press. If that is all my leadership seems to care about, then I am not going to believe they really care about my personal safety...only their own stats. It is only when I believe they care about me as a person will I believe that they care about my health as more than a means of production. Only then will I buy into the safety programs and whatnot.
This is a key lesson for all leadership, it seems. If you want people to care about what you care about, care about them first. When they believe that you have their best interests in mind, or at the very least are aware of their interests, they are willing to listen and perhaps get on board with your leadership. If they think you are not interested in them, it is unlikely they will be interested in you.
Yet sometimes all the talk falls flat. Sometimes it feels rote, like our leaders talk about safety because they are supposed to, not because they really care whether everyone goes home in the same condition they came to work in. Why is that? How can something so important end up sounding insincere?
I think it is because we all get cynical. All the talk about safety can quickly become a matter of statistics, lost time, and bad press. If that is all my leadership seems to care about, then I am not going to believe they really care about my personal safety...only their own stats. It is only when I believe they care about me as a person will I believe that they care about my health as more than a means of production. Only then will I buy into the safety programs and whatnot.
This is a key lesson for all leadership, it seems. If you want people to care about what you care about, care about them first. When they believe that you have their best interests in mind, or at the very least are aware of their interests, they are willing to listen and perhaps get on board with your leadership. If they think you are not interested in them, it is unlikely they will be interested in you.
Tuesday, November 17, 2009
Why?
Of all the question words, I like "why" the best. Why?
Who, what, where, when, and how all have objective answers (whether you know them or not). Why is subjective, pointing to underlying motives.
Why has power. Without a reason, without a purpose, the who is aimless, the what is meaningless, the how is mechanical, the where and when are arbitrary.
Why is multi-dimensional. As any 4-year-old knows, there is no limit to the number of times you can ask why. There is always a reason behind the reason.
Why makes us human. The search for purpose separates us from animals who care only about the what, the who, the where, the when, and the how (relating to food and sex, primarily...not that we don't care about those, too...we just add the why).
That's why I like why.
Who asks about people.Knowing why leads to the others. Tell me why your company exists and it is easy to figure out what you sell to whom. It doesn't work the other way around.
What asks about facts.
How asks about methods.
Where asks about locations.
When asks about times.
Why asks about purpose.
Who, what, where, when, and how all have objective answers (whether you know them or not). Why is subjective, pointing to underlying motives.
Why has power. Without a reason, without a purpose, the who is aimless, the what is meaningless, the how is mechanical, the where and when are arbitrary.
Why is multi-dimensional. As any 4-year-old knows, there is no limit to the number of times you can ask why. There is always a reason behind the reason.
Why makes us human. The search for purpose separates us from animals who care only about the what, the who, the where, the when, and the how (relating to food and sex, primarily...not that we don't care about those, too...we just add the why).
That's why I like why.
