This week we finished Chapter 8 (Results). There are ten sections: 1:1 conversations, staff meetings, think time, “big debate” meetings, “big decision” meetings, all-hands meetings, meeting-free zones, Kanban boards, walk around, be conscious of culture.
“Big Debate” Meetings
- “Lower the tension by making it clear that you are debating, not deciding.”
- They lower tension.
- They allow you to slow down key decisions when appropriate.
- They foster a larger culture of debate.
- Jameson: When people have debates, they become more entrenched in their views (i.e., more emotionally invested). Jamie said to listen for “however” and “but;” turn those around by looking for “yes-and” opportunities. Even in this book, the author has recommended switching positions so that you understand all the sides. Having a moderator helps, especially to keep to the agenda. Another idea is to have the person with the most sway speak last.
- “…teams sometimes rush into a decision before they have really thought it through or gotten sufficient input.” Geoff saw this first-hand before Lirio started doing two-week planning iterations.
- “The sole product of the debate should be a careful summary of the facts and issues that emerged, a clearer definition of the choices going forward, and a recommendation to keep debating or to move on to a decision.”
- Jamie: In reality, we don’t have answers to these questions or else we would have acted already. Jameson: You need to bring up concerns in good faith. Dennis: A common pitfall is heading down the solution path, nothing gets written down, and then the group shifts to some new idea — lots of dotted lines without real connections.
- Analogy: Suppose you’re planning a trip from Tennessee to New York. You’ll encounter problems like interstate slow-downs, etc. so you can’t anticipate every issue. Many people spend time arguing about what kind of car to take or whether you should fly instead of figuring out if NY is even the right destination. People focus too much on the “how” instead of the “why.”
- Debates should be about the substance rather than the other person being wrong.
“Big Decision” Meetings
- “Push decisions into the facts, pull facts into the decisions, and keep egos at bay.”
- Jameson: When a decision is made, you’ll need to walk out of the meetings with the notes to justify the decision and explain it to others. From “Extreme Ownership,” you need to explain the “why” so you can get buy-in.
All-hands Meetings
- “Bring others along.”
- Jameson has been to town hall meetings big and small. It’s helpful to have a forum to publicly ask questions but not in a high-pressure way.
- Geoff and Houston are passive absorbers of all-hands meetings; we listen so we can process later. It’s hard to think of things in the moment. Jameson said you need to process the information you’ve consumed. Geoff mentioned information asymmetry: The presenter knows the content and has context the listener doesn’t. Related: the curse of knowledge.
Execution Time
- “At Google, different teams tried declaring ‘No-Meeting Wednesday’ or ‘No-Meeting Thursday.’ None was ever able to stick to it.” Shortly after Lirio shifted to 100% work-from-home, we instituted “No Meeting Monday” through Labor Day; we ultimately voted to extend it because it was so well received. Jameson added that the work of executives and managers happens primarily through meetings, so these no-meeting days often don’t work for them.
- We talked about scheduling meetings over lunch. Geoff and Dennis “borrow back” from the company by adjusting their schedules for having to work through lunch or stay late. Geoff has essentially shifted to working in Central time, as most of his peers are in that time zone.
- Dennis shared an issue we all could relate to: finding mental bandwidth to work on side projects. It’s easier to just do nothing than to focus. Jameson called this the curse of the intellectual worker, and it’s why he likes to have projects outside of work that are more labor-focused rather than cognition-focused.
- “I have found that the most effective solution is simply to fight fire with fire.” That is, block off your calendar so that others don’t fill that time slot. Geoff thought this was contradictory — replacing having a meeting with being unavailable for others that need you.
Kanban Boards
- “Make activity and workflows visible.”
- Jameson reminisced about using sticky notes on a physical Kanban board; there’s something satisfying about moving a physical object.
Walk Around
- “Learn about small problems to prevent big ones.”
- “Management by walking around is a tried-and-true technique.” This is also called a gemba walk.
- Jameson misses this option he used while in the office. It’s impossible to replicate this in a virtual environment in a way that doesn’t feel artificial and contrived. Dennis got an idea from Jameson to ping people on Slack to ask how they’re doing before a big multi-person effort.
- Dennis said “out of sight, out of mind” is another problem with all-virtual.
Be Conscious of Culture
- “Everyone is watching you, but that doesn’t mean it’s all about you.”
- “People are listening. Like it or not, you’re under the microscope.”
- “Clarify. Be vigilant about clarifying what you are communicating.”
- “Debate and decide explicitly. Don’t let things that pervert your culture ‘just happen.'”
- “Persuade. Pay attention to the small things. … When you pay attention to seemingly small details, it can have a big impact on persuading people that your culture is worth understanding and adapting to.”
- “Execute: Action should reflect your culture.”
- “Learn … Listen”
- “If something’s in your way, it’s always your job to fix it!”