Triple Threat and 17 Minutes
I was speaking recently with Rob Betzel, President & CEO of Infinity Network Solutions.
Rob admits he is not perfect, but he does work hard to develop two habits that are consistent with my coaching. The first is to:
Schedule time daily where he turns off all technology by which people can contact him (cell phone, desk phone, email, IM...);
Shut his office door or leave the building so no one can interrupt him; and
Schedule himself out of other people's reach by setting the time in Exchange calendar so his people know not to bother him.
I call this Tech Out, Shut Out and Schedule Out (together a Triple Threat). This powerful "cord of three strands" enables you to achieve a lot more in less time because you can be totally focused on a task.
Have you tried this yet? Robin Robins calls it "Orange Cone" time and has even given some of her people orange soccer cones to place in front of their door to communicate to others that it is "do not disturb" time. Try scheduling these focused times to achieve important tasks. You will be pleased with the results.
A second habit Rob Betzel is practicing is to have a 17 minute huddle with his direct reports every day from 7:43 a.m. - 8:00 a.m. The meeting starts promptly and ends on time. This is also consistent with what I teach people to do as Intentional Leaders.
These huddles are a brief opportunity to confirm what Do It Now objective(s) your people completed the prior day that will contribute to their achievement of their annual goals (Goals That Work); and for them to define the key task(s) they will accomplish that day to move them closer to achieving one or more of their annual goals.
Rob and his people call-in to the meeting if they are not in the office. It is totally mandatory. He challenges people when they have nothing to say. He holds them accountable. The 17 minute time frame helps make it memorable (Zig Ziglar). The power of the meeting is its simplicity, accountability and consistency.
My only suggestion is to require everyone who is in the office to stand-up during the meeting so they do not get too comfortable.
These are two powerful yet simple habits for Intentional Leaders. If they are not active in your professional life today, then I recommend you pilot these actions for 30 days immediately, and see how they positively impact your productivity first-hand.
MEETING IDEAS
17 MINUTES is a habit, just like the TRIPLE THREAT. Both activities help you and your team perform your best.
Here are steps you can take to pilot these actions with your team:
1. Try both of these habits on your own for one month if you are skeptical. You can even limit your 17 minute meeting to 7 minutes and only include yourself. (It's better with your team, but if you are highly skeptical then you can try this on your own first.)
2. Explain these habits to your team.
3. Require your team to participate in a pilot of these actions for 30 days. This consists of daily meetings and working a minimum of 30 minutes of Triple Threat time three times each week. Make certain coworkers and clients are aware of this change so their expectations are still met. Be consistent. Hold people accountable. Be well-prepared to set a good example.
4. Extend the pilot to 90 days when you are seeing results. This works. If you are not seeing results then something is wrong.
5. Let us know how it goes.
