The New Crop: Issue #94
one question to bring creativity and courage to your work + "reaching peak meeting efficiency"
What’s in this issue:
💭 Thought: One question to bring creativity and courage to your work
📚 Read: Reaching Peak Meeting Efficiency
😆 Today’s Laugh
Another trick from Sarah Cooper in 100 Tricks to Appear Smart in Meetings:
💭 Today’s Thought
Every few months, I ask myself this question to inject a spark of strategic thinking, creativity, and courage:
If someone took my job tomorrow, what might they immediately do/question/change?
This question helps me guard against three natural human tendencies:
To get so in the weeds with our work that we forget to step back and think more holistically about our strategy, impact, and direction.
To get so attached to our own ideas and projects that we fail to challenge them.
To worry about or be afraid to ask the really hard questions, especially when we have so much context about the organization we work in and the people we’re working with and for.
I find that each time I ask this question, I can come up with at least a few things. And once I become aware of these things, it’s much harder for me to choose to do nothing with them.
Your turn: if someone took your job tomorrow, what might they immediately do/question/change?
🖊️ Today’s Reflection
If you’re new to journaling, I highly encourage you to read Nancy Adler’s article: Want to be an outstanding leader? Keep a journal.
This week, find a quiet place and gift yourself 10 minutes to reflect on any of these prompts (or invent your own!):
Where in your life do you still feel the pull to seek permission or approval?
What values do you want to model? And for whom?
📚 Today’s Read
Reaching Peak Meeting Efficiency
Why are meetings important? And what contributes to effective meetings? In this article, Steven Sinofsky — former Microsoft VP — generously shares insights from his decades-long experience participating in and leading meetings. It’s a long one, but Sinofsky encourages readers to “take this in over time and copy/paste some tips”. Enjoy!
See you next week!
xo,
Anne