Topic: What's worth two minutes of your time?

This is your IdeaShape monthly newsletter, July 2001,
with ideas on leadership and life for executives,
managers, consultants, and executive coaches.
By Pam Fox Rollin, IdeaShape Coaching & Consulting
http://www.ideashape.com

Contents
A.   The Big Idea
B.   Ideas in Action
C.   Resources
D.   Note from Pam

KNOW ANYONE WHO MAY ENJOY THIS?
Feel free to forward this newsletter to interested friends and colleagues.
For a complimentary subscription to this monthly newsletter,
they can mailto:newsletter@ideashape.com

=================================================
A.   The Big Idea:  How will you invest time in ways that make time?

"So much of our time is preparation, so much is routine,
and so much retrospect, that the path of ... genius contracts itself
to a very few hours."
             ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

"If you have time to whine and complain about something
then you have the time to do something about it."
             ~ Anthony J. D'Angelo

"I barely have 2 minutes!" clients say.  Great!  What can you do
in 2 minutes that will save an hour or more this week?

=================================================
B.  Ideas in Action:  2-Minute Investments for Time-Starved Executives

1. Check for understanding at the end of each meeting ... "What is it
you're taking away from our conversation?"

2. Lead your emails with a clear request ("I need your action by Friday
on...") and ask your team members to do the same.

3. Did you or someone on your team blunder?  Get the learning out of it
and move on.  Blame, guilt, and anxiety waste your time and energy.

4. When your gut says no, stop your mouth from saying yes.
Offer to consider it.  Then see if you can reshape the idea
so it makes sense to your head and gut.

5. Stop the stupid stuff flying around your organization...
cancel a useless meeting, ask your staff not to send CYA email.

6. Diagram the problem.  What are the separate parts, and how do
information and consequences flow among them?

7. Put your to-dos and promises in your Palm or notebook.
Save your brain for thinking about your business.

8. When you're feeling stuck, find something to laugh about,
take a quick walk around the building, or just sit and breathe.

9. Take a moment mid-day to remind yourself why you're doing this work...
picture what it is you're aiming to create for your company, your family,
yourself.

10. Speak the truth.  It will save a lot of time.

=================================================
C.  Resources

If you like books with really short chapters (2-minute skim)
that remind us of what we already know but tend to forget,
plus offering practical tips, here are a few good ones:

The Other 90%, by Robert K. Cooper (2001)
Portable Coach, by Thomas Leonard (1998)
Life Makeovers, by Cheryl Richardson (2000)

=================================================
D.  Note from Pam

Several of my personal favorite 2-minute investments:
- make a mindmap or decision-tree of an issue or idea
- put a commitment into my Palm immediately...
   I like to use ToDoPlus:  http://www.handshigh.com
- ask a colleague or client about what's really important to them
- move, stretch, walk
- delegate clearly
- skim a good business magazine or website
- send a friend a card with a silly limerick of appreciation
- meditate (yep, even 2 minutes seems useful to me!)
- form a clear picture of what I want to make happen

Each month you receive this email with ideas and resources
you can use to shape your success. Some of these ideas may
strike you as obvious... I invite you to step back and look at
how this is actually working in your life. Others may seem
far out... I invite you to consider how much choice you
actually have. If you'd like to get in touch about any of this,
please email me. I'd love to hear your thoughts.

                          Pam

p.s. During the summer and fall, I’ll be taking short periods of time
away from my office for reflection and adventure.  I'll respond to
emails when I return;  if I am gone, my assistant, Suzanne,
will return your calls.

=================================================
=================================================

WHAT WOULD IT MEAN TO YOU TO...
Expand your capacity to take on bigger opportunities?
Lead your organization to bring out the best around you?
Be your most creative, focused self in your work?
Shape a life that consistently fulfills you?

Contact us for coaching, facilitation, leadership development,
Myers-Briggs Type Indicator®, and related services that help
executives, fast-trackers, teams, and professionals
achieve their goals faster and more easily.

TO CONTACT US
To offer feedback, submit ideas for articles or resources,
or explore working together, mailto:pamfox@ideashape.com
We want this newsletter to be a valuable source
of ideas and information... your feedback will help us
accomplish this.  Thank you!

To unsubscribe or change your email address,
please mailto:newsletter-change@ideashape.com.

Feel free to forward this newsletter to your friends and colleagues!
For a complimentary subscription to this monthly newsletter,
they can mailto:newsletter@ideashape.com

We request that you keep the broadcast intact, including
our contact and copyright information.
Copyright (c) 2001, all rights reserved.