2009年12月
2009年12月13日
the 8:30 rule
I do a lot of teaching and facilitation in corporations and universities,
and through that get a chance to interact with lots of young business
people. Typically these are high-performers chosen by their companies to
participate in the courses my company offers, or MBA/MOT students at top-
level universities. So this is a highly-motivated talent pool to start with.
Despite their already busy work schedules, they sacrifice precious free time
with family, friends and hobbies in an effort to better themselves and learn
more about the world around them. This is fantastic, and I applaud their
efforts.
But at the same time, there is more that most of these students could do to
leverage the opportunities they are getting. The "best of the best" that I
see in these groups, the true global professionals - people who make a real
difference in shaping their companies or organizations and the markets that
they touch - are those that always "take the next step" in whatever they
do. They don't just attend the courses they are offered. They make sure to
follow-up, understanding that application is key.
The most successful people I know are the ones who not only gather a lot of
meishi at the cocktail party - but those who send a thoughtful note and
even an extra question to those they have met the next morning. They not
only write down the name of the book the speaker mentioned - but quickly
buy it and start reading it in the train that night. And when they get a
business idea in the shower, they not only write it down on a long to-do
list - they immediately gather a couple of colleagues over lunch and explore
how to expand it into a project.
From these observations, I have developed what I call the "8:30 Rule". The
next time you meet someone interesting, or learn a new concept, or have an
idea - DO SOMETHING with it at 8:30 the next morning. Before everyone else
gets to the office. Before you get bogged down with email. It doesn't have
to be a big step, just a concrete step that you can follow up on later.
Order the book online. Write a quick summary of the idea and email it to a
colleague for input. Create a mind map about how it relates to your work,
and reserve 30 minutes in your next monthly team meeting agenda to
discuss its potential relevance. Believe me, if you don't do it then,
you will probably never get around to it later.
There is always a danger that people feel self-satisfied after attending a
seminar, and then lose all the potential value of it by forgetting to truly
follow-up and apply their learnings in their daily life. I do it myself
all the time. True Global Professionals don't fall into that trap. I
have been trying to apply my own "8:30 Rule" as a way to force myself
to improve in this way. I hope it can help you as well.