No Question is too Big

I admire the works of Jim Collins. Having read both "Built to Last" and "Good to Great", it has given me insights into two key concepts. Chiefly, Right People on the Right Seats and Hedgehog Concept.

A recent article in The New York Times, "For Jim Collins, No Question is too Big" (http://bit.ly/1ar8cR), inspired me to relook at three key areas in my life. One is the use of my time. While I have always observed the use of time as an instrumental factor in determining if someone is (or will be) successful, I didn't have a clue how to set a goal in this dimension.

Collins has it spelled out. 53 percent on creative activities, 28 percent on teaching, and 19% on others. Obviously Collins' formula doesn't fit mine but it gave me an insight into how I would effectively allocate my time so as to fulfill my purpose in life. I do lots of consulting work currently and enjoy it. However, I do find myself doing certain low value-add activities that wears me and slows me down. Also, while I want to embark on researching on how to build engaging relationships, I find myself doing it on an ad-hoc basis or at best opportunistic.

In fact, if I were to allocate time to three key activities, it would be learning & growth, putting what I've learnt into practice and doing it with excellence (in other words, investing in up to 10,000 hours as Malcolm Gladwell puts it), and finally doing creative and innovative work (to create new materials which will generate multiple future growth paths). As a matter of fact, it ties in with my core values (and that of my firm LINE Consulting - Singapore).

This I find it to be an exhilarating breakthrough for me as it gives me an idea of how I should better invest in my time. As Linkin Park sings it, "Time is a valuable thing, watch it fly by as the pendulum swings, watch it count down to the end of the day, the clock ticks life away".

The second key area is in the way Collins manages his firm. In the article it was said that he keeps his overheads low and runs a tight ship by hiring only five people. And that idea came from none other than management guru Peter Drucker that if you build a big organization, then you will end up managing it instead of allocating your time to the most productive and meaningful work.

And finally, the third key area is about being completely Socratic. Though, as NLP-trained, I've learnt the technique of asking questions using different techniques, I find the concept of Socratic questioning absolutely seductive. Reason?

It challenges assumptions. We all make assumptions in life. An as a trained economist, of course I for one should understand and appreciate making assumptions more than others. However assumptions also get us into trouble. Therefore, getting people to re-examine their assumptions doesn't always mean to get them to come up with different answers. Often times, it get them to re-look at the same issue from a different perspectives. And with different perspectives come alternative solutions or at least to gain greater clarity in why people do things.

That said, I'm all set for the next 99-Day phase for this year. Bring it on!

Your friend,
Melvyn
(Sent from my Blackberry Bold)