2016-04-29 09:04:43
Katie Smith Milway
April 28, 2016
Julie was expecting Bruce to arrive at her office in five minutes. He would no
doubt want input on the draft memo he d sent yesterday only she d hadn t found
time to read it yet. She knew he also wanted to discuss partnering with a new
research group that colleagues had already used, but their requests for reviews
on the work had so far gone unanswered. And she was keen to hear how Bruce had
felt about leading a recent workshop, which she d encouraged him to do but been
unable to attend. So goes the manager s punch list for check-ins with direct
reports.
With the clock ticking, what could Julie do? Scan the memo? Follow up with the
colleagues? Watch a video of the workshop on the company intranet or read the
survey feedback?
If this sort of time crunch sounds familiar, you are not alone. It wasn t long
after becoming a manager that I found I had landed on a seemingly endless
treadmill of meetings. I was participating in so many that I barely had time to
prep, let alone tackle the to-do lists I was taking away.
So I decided to try a different approach. What if meetings with one to a few
employees became work sessions in which we could review memos together, Google
up facts to suss out an idea, call colleagues with insight on relevant issues
or bring in those who could benefit from the discussion? We might get through
fewer items, but we d have a much better chance of resolving those we did
address, taking work off everyone s plate.
A shift to what I call just-do-it meetings not only recovers hours and weeks
of professional time to think about higher-level priorities, it can also create
space to be more thoughtful in interactions with direct reports and to build
stronger mentoring relationships with them.
Three tactics can help in the process. They are:
State of play memos: Ask reports to email you a strategic agenda before you
meet, so you can prioritize one or two areas to tackle during the meeting.
Real-time investigation: When all that stands between you and your report
making a decision is a piece of knowledge e.g. a peer s input or publicly
available data find that information during the meeting itself. You may still
need some time to reflect, but in many cases, by removing the barriers, you ll
be able to act.
Visiting hours (or minutes): Invite others who can learn from an agenda item to
join just that part of the meeting
Let s look at Julie s dilemma again through a just do it lens. In the five
minutes before Bruce arrives, she might think about which of the potential
agenda items the memo, the research group or the workshop matters most to the
organization, to her and to Bruce. She decides that the latter is probably
top-of-mind for him; he d been really worried about leading the session. The
memo needs to go out tomorrow so that should also take high priority, but the
decision on the research group is less time-sensitive.
When Bruce arrives, Julie first asks how the workshop went. He confesses that
there were some bumps and expresses interest in some formal training in public
speaking, so Julie fires off an email to HR to see if the company can cover a
course. Next, they go through the memo together, thinking about the audience
and objective and adjusting some language accordingly. With 10 minutes left,
Julie and Bruce also call David, one of the people who has previously worked
with the research group. Luckily, he s at his desk and willing to chat on
speakerphone for a few minutes about the experience. Since his report is
resoundingly positive, Julie gives Bruce the go-ahead to solicit an estimate.
With every to-do already ticked off, she s left with time to consider a board
recommendation, read a competitor s annual report, or start thinking about a
strategic offsite that she needs to plan that is, make progress on big-picture
goals.
If you adopt a just do it mentality, you may be surprised by all that you and
your colleagues, well, just do.
Katie Smith Milway is a partner with The Bridgespan Group in Boston and
coauthor of Finding Leaders for America s Nonprofits.