Quote of the week

"I wasted time, and now doth time waste me"
- Shakespeare, Richard II

I haven't decided what I want to appear on my gravestone, but that's certainly one line I don't want on it!

Quote of the week

"As if you could kill time without injuring eternity!"
- Henry David Thoreau

Quote of the week

"I love deadlines. I like the whooshing sound they make as they fly by."
- Douglas Adams

This sounds a lot like me. When I set my own deadlines, there's a 90% chance that I will miss them. I need someone else to set deadlines for me - something real.

Schedule a workshop with an audience and I'll finish my class. Schedule a product review and I'll complete my plan. Set an arbitrary date, and you can expect a 'whoosh'.

What's your relationship with deadlines?

Quote of the week

"The only reason for time, is so that everything doesn't happen at once"
- Albert Einstein

Albert obviously never worked in corporate America, where everything does happen at once - the fiscal year end. In my goals research, it's amazing to see how few goals include a date. That's why so few goals are achieved until the end of the year.

Something to think about...

Le Grand Tour D'Asia: Day 5 of 58

Tuesday, January 12th

Learning Moment: Singapore

Timeliness obviously varies by culture.

I was reminded of this fact yesterday, as I led the slide:ology workshop in Singapore.

The workshop was scheduled to start at 9:00 am.

At 9:15, I had just over half of the attendees present, so I started.

The room was full around 9:30.

When I gave a 10-minute break in the morning, most of the attendees took 20-25 minutes.

For lunch, I gave a 70-minute break, saying "be back by 1:30".

We didn't get started until 2:00.

Finally, I got smart. I gave a 7-minute break in the afternoon - just enough time to reach the coffee machine and restroom. Then I didn't give the last break that I usually provide.

Sure, I could get angry and threaten, but that doesn't support a learning atmosphere.

I just observe the behavior, comment on it, and let them know that any chance to end early is decreased by their tardiness.

If that doesn't work, I just adjust the material a little, trimming time for exercises, and keep on teaching...

Time is on my side...

It's a new day in America, that's for sure...

I don't comment much on the politics of the US or the world.

Why? Well, there are a bunch of reasons.

For one thing, we (Angie and me) have lived in 3 countries (Japan, Singapore, US). I've lived 1/4 of my life overseas, so I don't see the US as the center of everything (you could make a stronger argument that it's the center of nothing).

A couple of other reasons (which aren't terribly interesting and, furthermore, aren't really anyone's business - but they explain the above) include the fact that I watch less than an hour of television a week (I literally only see TV as my dvd player is warming up or as I'm watching sports) and that I don't own a cell phone. 

So, I only really notice things when they've lasted longer than a carton of milk (and most things don't). That means I haven't even heard of an issue until Anderson Cooper, Nancy Grace, and Bill O'Reilly have beaten the dead horse thirty-three times over and moved on to their latest hurricane or child kidnapping.

I guess what I'm trying to say is that I'll judge this new era after it happens. Just like I'll judge the last era after I get a little distance (I'm not sure I can actually get enough distance - but that's another story).

How Much Strategy?

I'm working with a group of directors who are responsible for an area that is tactically focused.
We've been gathering to determine a long-term vision for the team, and they are feeling some frustration during the process.
Now, most vision exercises are frustrating - if not, then you're probably not challenging yourself enough - but this one seems more painful than usual.

Every time we start to break through to a strategic discussion, it seems we can't stay there for more than 15 minutes before one of the members is compelled to dive back into a specific tactical point.
Last week, we discussed the fact that thinking strategically is like a muscle, if you don't use it, it atrophies. One member then suggested working on this for the next 6-9 weeks and you could see rolled eyes and hear some groans.

This prompted a question from me - how many hours a week should a director spend on strategic thinking? 2 hours a week would mark less than 5% of their time (I don't know any Director level employee who puts in less than 40 hours/week - certainly not these guys).

So, is 5% too much? Not enough?

How much time should a director spend?
A manager?
A VP?
A GM?
Who owns strategic thinking? And why is it so hard for most people?

Tell me what you think...