👋 Hello everyone,
Helen Keller said, "Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much."
Here are four resources you might have missed:
📚 Book Summary:
This week's book is "Meetings Matter" by Paul Axtell.
This is the field manual for more productive meetings. The book provides practical information about running meetings and, equally important, how you should participate in meetings when you are not the leader. A section breaks down the different types of meetings you participate in or lead and the kind of questions for those specific meetings. This book is helpful if you, like me, are juggling many meetings throughout the week.
One of my favorite takeaways from the book is this:
"Most of us walk into a meeting concerned about one person—ourselves. We're not usually looking out for the other participants or thinking about how to support the person leading the meeting. We sit where we feel most comfortable, and we speak when we feel like it or not at all. Looking out for ourselves is normal and will always be part of who we are. Still, as a perspective, it dooms us to be less than brilliant—to squandering value we might add. On the other hand, if we walk into meetings with a focus on supporting others and doing whatever we can to ensure the meeting turns out well, we will see opportunities to do both."
✅ Actionable advice:
Leaders must recognize that effective meeting participation is a crucial skill, not just a calendar chore. Many of us show up unprepared and hope we can catch up on a few Slack messages while trying to look present. But as Celeste Headlee says in her famous TED Talk, 10 Ways to Have Better Conversations, "There is no reason to learn how to show you are paying attention—if you are paying attention." Shift your focus from self-interest to support others and the purpose of the meeting. Engage, be present, offer feedback, and create a productive environment for all participants. Someone invited you to this meeting—prove that their decision to include you was wise.
🧠 5 things I'm thinking about (January 3, 2025)
1.Dinner date with the wife
2.Happy New Year everyone
3.Doing chores around the house
4.Building vs. buying
5.Lunch with mentors
Reading "The Phoenix Project" by Gene Kim.
Have a great week!
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