Keep things simple and clear!
There are a lot of words in business: job
descriptions, memos, briefings, meetings, quick updates (that last 45 minutes),
more meetings. This flood of words create the impression that adults have
endless attention spans, and that you can keep talking and people will keep
listening. This impression is wrong.
Some of you know that I spend my winter weekends
at Stratton Mountain, coaching incredibly talented seven-year-old skiers. Last
weekend, they inspired my Theory of Seven. (True confession: I named and
capitalized it to illustrate a point. Young kids love it when you come up with
goofy names.)
My Theory of Seven says that adults are not much
different than seven-year-olds, except that we pretend to be
different. Our attention spans are ridiculously short. We love distractions.
Given a choice, we'd eat cookies all the time. If you leave us in line too
long, we start pushing and shoving.
So how can the Theory of Seven help you motivate
others? Like this...
Be clear about what's next: The second - and I mean the very second -
we finish a ski run, my kids want to know what we are doing next. They have no
interest in the run after that; its too much information. Assume the same is true
for your colleagues. Be simple, and focus on what's next.
Don't be intellectual: One kid is a great skier, aggressive and
talented. But he has a quirk: every time he does a hard "skating"
stop, he stares at his toes, which shifts his weight in the wrong direction. I
tried explaining this, but it just didn't sink in. Finally I said, "You
must have beautiful toes. You must love your
toes so much, you can't help but look at them."
He thought this was hysterical, and so did the
other kids. But then he stopped staring at his toes.
Don't assume that others are idiots: Seven-year-olds may be goofy little human beings
with short attention spans, but they are much more perceptive than you might
assume. They constantly surprise me with their observations.
If you're not getting through to others, the
reason may not be because they "are idiots." The problem may be that
you haven't figured out a simple and interesting way to communicate your
messages.
Keep things moving: Even the best-coached, most responsive
group of kids start acting like babbling idiots if you keep them waiting too
long in a ski lift line, or at the cafeteria. Adults are no different; when
they get bored, they start to gossip, complain, and even act irrationally.
If you aspire to lead or motivate others, keep
things fresh.
_____________________________________________________
There are a lot of words in business: job
descriptions, memos, briefings, meetings, quick updates (that last 45 minutes),
more meetings. This flood of words create the impression that adults have
endless attention spans, and that you can keep talking and people will keep
listening. This impression is wrong.
Some of you know that I spend my winter weekends
at Stratton Mountain, coaching incredibly talented seven-year-old skiers. Last
weekend, they inspired my Theory of Seven. (True confession: I named and
capitalized it to illustrate a point. Young kids love it when you come up with
goofy names.)
My Theory of Seven says that adults are not much
different than seven-year-olds, except that we pretend to be
different. Our attention spans are ridiculously short. We love distractions.
Given a choice, we'd eat cookies all the time. If you leave us in line too
long, we start pushing and shoving.
So how can the Theory of Seven help you motivate
others? Like this...
Be clear about what's next: The second - and I mean the very second -
we finish a ski run, my kids want to know what we are doing next. They have no
interest in the run after that; its too much information. Assume the same is true
for your colleagues. Be simple, and focus on what's next.
Don't be intellectual: One kid is a great skier, aggressive and
talented. But he has a quirk: every time he does a hard "skating"
stop, he stares at his toes, which shifts his weight in the wrong direction. I
tried explaining this, but it just didn't sink in. Finally I said, "You
must have beautiful toes. You must love your
toes so much, you can't help but look at them."
He thought this was hysterical, and so did the
other kids. But then he stopped staring at his toes.
A small percentage of adults are intellectual;
most are not. Most need simple, memorable guidance. Most don't pay attention to
complex explanations.
Don't assume that others are idiots: Seven-year-olds may be goofy little human beings
with short attention spans, but they are much more perceptive than you might
assume. They constantly surprise me with their observations.
If you're not getting through to others, the
reason may not be because they "are idiots." The problem may be that
you haven't figured out a simple and interesting way to communicate your
messages.
Keep things moving: Even the best-coached, most responsive
group of kids start acting like babbling idiots if you keep them waiting too
long in a ski lift line, or at the cafeteria. Adults are no different; when
they get bored, they start to gossip, complain, and even act irrationally.
If you aspire to lead or motivate others, keep
things fresh.
_____________________________________________________
Bruce Kasanoff is author
of Simplify the Future, your guide to a successful
career and a rewarding life. He describes his Theory of Seven world tour as "Captain
Underpants meets Peter Drucker."
No comments:
Post a Comment