Leadership Lessons Learned
Presentation
The way you present information matters. My children eat. They're not picky. Are they in the mood to eat one thing over another? Sure. Aren't we all? What is curious is in what form they eat certain foods.
I'll make a delicious roasted chicken dinner. They'll eat all the carrots. If I transform the ingredients into a chicken soup, they eat everything.
Eating hummus is far more palatable than eating the ingredients in deconstructed form.
Lithuanians are raised on šaltibarščiai (cold beet soup). While we certainly can eat beets, cucumbers, and eggs individually, we can only experience the full effect of this national staple food if only combined.
Lesson Learned? The way in which you present information matters. Framing. Context. Communication. Consider what information you lead with. Think about how the receiver will benefit. Determine needs and asks. Sympathize and empathize with the audience and the perception of your information.
Time
Time. We all perceive time differently. We all define time differently. Regardless. Time is valuable. Time is of value.
In a recent conversation about triggers, one of my triggers (or perhaps in a more light-hearted modern way of pet-peeves through the maturity of time), time is near at the top.
Personal Impact of Time.
One way I look at time is the reality of. How much time do I actually have to complete a task? And more importantly, how much time do I have to complete that task during working hours so that I don't have to bring it home with me when I should be in fact spending time focusing on my kids.
*BTW - the moment I decided that I will not "work" when I'm with my kids has made me so incredibly happy. I focus only on them and the stress has melted away.
Be on Time.
The other way that I look at time is being on time. Lateness causes domino effects. If a meeting starts late, then it better still end on time. The facilitator must accommodate and make changes that allow participants to leave on time. Otherwise, their subsequent meetings are impacted. On the flip side, if a meeting is over before the scheduled end time, relish in it. Don't stay there just because there's left over time. Be efficient. Efficient with effective results, action items, and next steps.
Rescheduling meetings is also irritating. When key players cancel last minute or decide to not show up is disrespectful and prohibits the work from progressing.
Be Humble.
I once was in a meeting with a colleague, and miraculously, we wrapped up early. A few minutes early, but nonetheless. We were attending the next meeting together, and so I suggested that we start heading over. The response? They can wait. I'm not quoting because I don't think it's verbatim, but I'm 99% sure it is.
They can wait. What? Seriously?! Who do you think you are? What makes you think that your time is any more valuable than theirs? What makes you think that their time is any less valuable than yours? That's a sign of arrogance and disrespect.
And what gets me most is that I didn't verbalize any of that. I was a bystander in that response. That's what I regret - that I didn't speak up.
Time. Value time. Value time of others. Value time for yourself.
