Meetings

Sitting in a meeting can be painful. Mentally and physically.

Often there are many droll presentations.  Sometimes to present what is happening.  Other times to present what the meeting attendees think should happen. A lot of the time for someone to tell you why something didn't happen.  

Too many people.  Too much time.  Too little impact.

Perhaps taking your meeting on a walk can help in productivity.

It's usually a lot smaller group. It's usually more personal.  It's unscripted and more honest.  And because of the fresh air...perhaps more innovative and productive.  It's time to blow the dust off meetings and get outside.

Some large meetings are necessary, but for most meetings, it's a smaller and more personal meeting that will be far more beneficial to achieve what you need to get done for your business.

Who is it that you need to get on board to get things done?

Who is it that can take the lead for new projects or initiatives?

Who is it that will provide new ideas and honest feedback?

That's who you should have a meeting with.  Invite them for a walk and get something done.  

The To-Do List

It's a list of the things you need to get done.  There is only so much time in the day, so you need to be efficient.  Get those things done in the time you have.

But if you are like most people, you seem to always have a time shortage. How are you to get everything done?

The Not-To-Do List

Perhaps you need to make more time for yourself to do those really important things.  The best way is to not do things that you shouldn't be doing.  Put them on your "Not-To-Do List".

Maybe there are items that are just distractions that can be eliminated.  Items that provide no value to your life.  They just suck away time and energy.   Put them on  your "Not-To-Do List". 

Maybe there are tasks that need to get done, but not by you.  It's time to delegate them to others.  It's like buying time for yourself.  It's a good deal, considering that you can't replace time. Put them on your "Not-To-Do List". 

More Time

By critically looking at what you shouldn't be doing, you can free up more time for yourself to do what you should be doing.

With each task you do, ask yourself:

Is this something that I shouldn't be doing?  

Is this something that I can delegate to someone else to do?

If yes, then stop doing it.

Recently Seth Godin in "Seth's Blog" posted on "Time shifting".  He described how people make decisions based on the "now".  There is a difference between the individual who may look slightly into the future regarding the decisions they are making now, versus the "mob" which makes decisions only on the "now".  

Mob Vs. Me Thinking

So it made me think about the difference between the "me" decision and the "mob" decision.  

"Me" has a single integrated brain. It has reflexes that can produce immediate responses, but it also has memory.  It's the memory of what has happened in the past that can modify the "me" current decision.  Moreover, that memory can influence the projection of what may occur in the future based on a decision "now".  You make decisions based on the past, present, and future. Hopefully, these are decisions that are optimal for your future. 

"Mob" has no such memory.  For that reason, it can only react at the moment.  The individuals of the mob interact like a network of brain cells that produce a reflex action in response to a stimulus.  That multi-person network has no ability to look back in the past, nor project into the future.  Mob only reacts in the present.  It has no past. It has no future.  For that reason, it's only concerned with the "now".  The mob's...

What's in your past?

What are you looking at in your rearview mirror?

Is it opportunities that have past you?

Is it accomplishments that you are happy with?

Is it regret over decisions that you made before?

Is it watching the competition coming up from behind you?

Is it revisiting memories that you have from the past?

Looking Back

What is it that you are looking at in the rearview mirror?

Are you spending more time looking in the rearview mirror than looking forward?

Looking Forward

Maybe it's time to look forward and see where you are going.

Perhaps it's time to pay more attention to where you are going and less on where you have been. 

It might just save you from a catastrophic collision.

What's in your past that is keeping you from focusing on your future?

Let's play a drinking game.  Every time you hear this in a meeting, let's have a drink:

Let's do a deep dive on this topic.

Let's be sure to stay within the rails during this project.

Did you start a dialog with the customer?

Thanks for reaching out to them.

Let's ideate together.

This will result in shifting paradigm of what we know.

Let's look for the blue ocean opportunity.

Can we circle back on that?

Let's park that idea in the parking lot.

Business Babble

I don't know about you, but business babble (which I call bisno-babble) is driving me nuts.  To me, such babble is distracting, annoying and reflects badly on the bisno-babbeler.  For Pete's sake, just say what you mean in plain language.

Using bisno-babble doesn't make me think you know more than you do.  I am more concerned about the content of what you are saying than the jargon that you use. 

Let's get back to simple language.  Let's communicate in a way that actually reflects what we are trying to say. 

Useless Babble

I don't know about you, but if bisno-babble was a drinking game, I would be hammered in most meetings after about 10 minutes.  But perhaps that would make the meetings more tolerable. 

Please don't contribute to meeting intoxication.  

Do you say what you...

• Black or Tan?
• Hat. 
• Shirts.  Coat.  Sweater.
• Underwear
• Pants. Bathing suit.  Belts.
• Socks. Shoes.
• Toiletries.
• Friday, Saturday, Sunday, Monday.   Check. 

Ready to go.

How do you pack for a short trip?  

It's easy if you have a system.  What I just listed is my system that developed over 20+ years of weekend trips for meetings.  

Early on, packing took a lot of time.  I was disorganized.  I packed more than I needed...or missed essential items.  And over the years, my system became a habit. A habit that I could easily replicate, document and teach.  Much like other programs that I have developed for better decision making (ThoughtCrafting) and transformation of ideas to actions (Fall Forward).  

Systems Work

Not only do systems work, but they also make life easier and surer.  You don't spend time and energy on the "how" (that's the system), but on the "what" (which is what you want to get done). 

For example....my packing system.

1. Pick a color of pants so everything can coordinate.  Tan or Black.
2. Starting from the top of your head, to your feet, in order, one at a time, pick the clothes you need for that part of your body.  Head.  Chest. Legs. Feet.  Each time, remembering what color scheme you picked in step 1.  Don't pack brown socks or brown...

Messages

We are barraged with messages from the media on a daily basis.  They come from everywhere.  TV. The Internet. Magazines. Books. Social Media.  

Everywhere you look there are different messages on virtually any topic you can think of.

And as soon as you can find one opinion on a topic, you can just as quickly find an opposing opinion on the same topic.

It used to be that the "food pyramid" based on grains was considered healthy.  Now it seems that low or no carb is being promoted.

Overweight is unhealthy, but plus-size models are in.

Actors tout preventing climate change from their gas-guzzling private jets.

Millionaire politicians preach the evils of capitalism.

Smoking is bad but vaping is good.

Drug addiction ruins lives, but legalization is good.

Society Message Trends

Some of these are "fads" or "trends".  But regardless, they send mixed messages to people.

Are your marketing messages congruent?  Do they support the core theme of your product or are there mixed messages in your materials?  If so, are they creating confusion for your audience?

Are there contradictory messages in your marketing efforts? 

It's something to consider.

The Power Of Body Over Mind.

A smile is a simple thing to do.  But it has enormous power.

Go ahead.  Force yourself to make a smile.  

Not a small closed-lip smile, but a big, toothy, nearly laughing smile.  And hold it for a while.

Now how did that make you feel?  It's unlikely that you felt bad. It's unlikely that you felt sad.  I am willing to bet that you actually felt better after that smile.  That physical action has the power to lift your spirits.

Wow... your physical body can have influence over the thoughts and emotions you have.  Yes, how you position your body and the faces you make do impact how you feel mentally.

That's the power you have over your emotions. 

The power of body over mind.

Use the power of a big, bright smile to overcome those times when the world seems blue to you.  When you need to feel better and more positive.  When you need a friend  ...  but nobody else is there.  Forcing a smile is a great place to start.

Be your own friend.  Make yourself happy.  Just smile.

Okay, let's face it.  This coronavirus stuff can be pretty scary, but on the other hand, you wonder if it is blown out of proportion.  I think that just about everyone is thinking the same thing.

The Truth Is We Don't Know

If you don't know if a footbridge is safe, you will probably stay off of it.

If you wonder if the plane is safe, you won't go up in it.

If you don't know if the brakes on the auto are safe, you won't go in the car.

If you don't know if something is dangerous, you probably won't do it.

So if you don't know if COVAD 19 is dangerous to you, why expose yourself?

So Why Not Follow The Government Plan?

If you are like I am, we really don't know where reality is ... between the two extremes of opinion on the coronavirus. A big nothing or the plague that will kill everyone.  So why not play it safe and limit your exposure.  What have YOU got to lose?  

You might feel that you are invincible.

You might think that you having COVAD 19 won't be a big deal. 

You might be right, or you might be wrong.

But even if you do get a very mild case,

And even if it doesn't stop you from going on with your "normal life",

How would you feel if your behavior infected a more at-risk person?

What if they were significantly ill because of it?

What if they were not able to get the medical care they needed?

What if those people got...

Obviously there is a lot of scrambling today for having people work from home to help reduce the spread of the Wuhan Coronavirus (COVID-19) within the US. I won't be going into anything about the virus...and would like to concentrate on work-at-home issues.

Immediate "MIND" Preparation

First, don't freak out.  Don't think you are alone.  And don't try to do everything or do it by yourself.  Remember that there are a ton of people in the same situation.  

You WILL have to learn new ways of doing some of what you did before, such as in-person meetings, informal "side" conversations and similar on-site activities.  That's okay.  Everyone is in the same situation and will be learning with you.

Key Is Communication

Probably one of the biggest issues that new at-home-workers have is the loss of the informal in-person communication channels.  For that, ensure that you make an effort to re-create those channels using different means.  For example, there are great tools that can be used to maintain communication with groups, such as Slack, Teams, Private Facebook Groups, Linked In Groups and many others.  Your employer may already have some of these in place, but were under or not utilized previously.  If that's the case, tap into those and start to use them.  But as a group, pick one or two that you will use so...