The need to create

Sometimes after a long day at work (like today, 14 hours) I reach home pining to create something, to arrive at a new insight, to develop something on my own. This comes out of deep desire to feel independent and like I can determine my future after spending many hours punching away at excel sheets.

My insight for today is "The Time Trump Card"

Probably the most discussed and researched management question of the last 50 years is "what makes great leaders effective?" There are multiple ways to approach the topic. McKinsey (the ilk I come from) says structure. Take a problem and break it into pieces. Identify the sub-questions, then the sub issues. Locate a source for each set of data. Construct a work-plan, put names next to sections and execute rigidly. I once heard Jack Welsh speak and he frequently talked about how personal accountability is critical to team leadership and accomplishing goals. Other people say learn from experts. Latch on to the best and soak up what you can. And still others spout the age old tune, its who you know not what you know.

The best and highest bang for your buck starting point in my opinion is to look at one simple factor: time. How do you spend your time? Drucker argued that since time is the scarcest resource we have, treat it like its gold. Record how you spend your time over a couple weeks and you may be surprised. For me? On my latest project its been time alone that drives the most results and has proven the most effective use of the day.

Time is also a sharp lens into consumer behavior, cutting through the noise of what many people say but don't mean. It all comes down to a simple question about human nature. What do people really value? Answer: Look at how they spend their time. (This is also a great tool in assessing individual character - it quickly separates the well wishes from the impact agents). The key learning here is that how people spend their time frequently contrasts how people say/think they spend their time.

I have been stapling candy wrappers up on my cubicle wall to see how much I really eat. So far its been 1 week. The results are staggering (and tasty).

- Often, just watch where people's eyes go and begin counting - The wrappers on my wall told me that my eyes frequently go to the candy bowl. The amount of wrappers per day tell me the quantity of my engagement with Totsie Rolls. It probably my most repeated activity other than checking in with my direct team mate and e-mail.

- What tools does the individual require? - By far the greatest driver of my eating this candy is convenience. I would not go across the street or even down the hall for the candy. Consequently, the most important, in fact the critical factor of Totsie Roll's success, is their access point - in this case the dealer, our office assistant Carrie.

- Debunkify Myths - 'JP is a good guy that I bet takes care of himself at every chance he gets' ...debunkify... he eats a teaspoon of sugar a day. News today is just terrible, what can America do? ...debunkify... USA today is the fastest growing newspaper in America. Are readers complaining? Bottled water hurts the environment and it popularity is decreasing rapidly ...debunkify... Whole Foods (the haven of the environmentally friendly, features as its number one seller, wait for it, yep Bottled Water!


Fun stuff.