Engine For Change

Just last week I learned that the ancient Greeks had two words for time, chronos (the unfeeling time that flies by before us) and kairos (the human time of creating an opportunity for something important).

Often each week I’m asked how I get so much done.  I used to reply with a shrug of my shoulders.  Now I reply, “kairos.”

In the last week I prepared a command-wide presentation for our top executives, supported my son (he’s 2-and-a-half years old) through his fourth emergency brain surgery of the year, ran a half marathon, orchestrated a 70-person off-site session, attended a retirement celebration and an Elks club spaghetti field, worked four days (plus 2 hours on the weekend) and nearly read two books.  Oh, and I blogged some too and did four loads of laundry.  I also read books to my children every night, helped them with their prayers and kissed them before they went to bed.  And, I think I got in a snuggle while watching a movie with my husband.

I get so much done because I am constantly making time work for me.  Now, granted, I’ve been practicing at this for years and I’ve got some natural energy that I attribute to a genetic gift from my grandmother, but I also look at time as kairos not chronos.  Time doesn’t control me. Time works for me.

Whether you read Covey’s words about “first things first” or Drucker’s Effective Executive, the gurus tell you that harnessing your time to your purposes is the sure route to improving your performance and gaining the success you desire.  They believe in the power of kairos.

I think Peter Senge would tell you that you have a flawed mental model if you only assume time is chronos.  Break that mental model.  Add kairos to time and see what happens after you believe that you can create time.

Seek out kairos.  You’ll be surprised how much time you find.

A 24-hour clock has the numbers 13 through 24 written inside the typical clock dial to allow someone to rapidly read PM times as their 24-time equivalents, e.g., 1 pm is 1300 and 10 pm is 2200.

A few weeks ago I noticed a 24-hour clock just like this one on a conference room wall.  I noticed the clock and thought, “How interesting!”

Why did I have such an excited response to a clock?

Because the clock is an example of driving change.

Let me elaborate.

If I calculate how often a reference to time comes up in meetings in the conference room per week, and reduce that by the times that are between midnight and noon (and therefore the same in both systems) I can’t get more than a few dozen to a few hundred repetitions of this problem each week.  Add on to that the clock saves human mind processing time of mere seconds per occurrence and we’re looking at calculated “savings” from installing the clock as too small to count and too small to report.

Yet someone felt compelled to put up this clock and took all the actions to get it in place.

I find that fascinating.

The problem isn’t flashy and exciting; it’s localized and small.

The problem doesn’t have a big monetary justification; it matters to whom it matters to.

If someone had waited for “management buy-in” of the solution how long would they have waited; instead they just installed the clock.

Not every change takes a long time, impacts a lot of people, or changes the world; and that’s okay.

Driving small change–even if only to remove a small snag that makes a small difference for a small group of people–matters too.

End note: Just a few days ago, I was discussing the times for a conference and I naturally defaulted to using military times for the start and end times (e.g., 0800 to 1530).  I could tell from the pause in the conference center employee’s voice that she was unfamiliar with military time. I translated the times to 8 am to 3:30 pm.  When I finished giving her the times she said, “Thanks for translating that for me.”  With all the military folks she deals with, maybe I should tell her about getting one of these clocks.

Whenever I run into a problem I can’t solve, I always make it bigger.  I can never solve it by trying to make it smaller, but if I make it big enough I can begin to see the outlines of a solution.” – Dwight D. Eisenhower

If you’re driving a change that only solves your problem look around for others who share your concern and make the change you’re driving big enough to include their concerns.  In large organizations the charge to “make it big enough” is especially important if you want to gain sway over the powers that control company-wide policy or procedures.

Seth Godin’s post “Seized of the matter,” referring to how the U.N. Security Council has a method to seize and hold issues that they refuse then to allow the full body to debate, got me thinking about a few of my pet peeve statements that can slow down or stop change.

1. “When did we decide that?”  The implication is that you all agreed that you would all agree before any action was taken.  This is usually used on the most minor of issues that if you would have brought them before the whole group would have been met with the statement, “Why are you wasting our time with this?”  If you can’t win either way, might as well decide and let them ask this question after the change has already flown by in front of them.

2.  “When did you tell me that?” or its worse cousin, “You never told me that.’ which really means “I don’t know if you told me or not, but I know you didn’t make me care enough to listen!”  When dealing with a group change effort, documentation is your friend.  Take notes in meetings and type the notes into minutes.  The minutes will help you and everyone else remember what they’d rather forget.  Send out e-mails after the meetings recapping Agreements or Decision and Remaining Actions.  They still probably won’t listen and they’ll still try to pull “You didn’t make me care enough!” but you’ll have the electronically captured memories on your side.  Slowing down to point them toward the minutes is a lot quicker to recover from than slowing down to have the conversation, “Remember on Tuesday the 12th when we decided…”

3.  “Who told you to do that?”  I’ve already covered that one in a blog post.  Just answer, “I did.” (as diplomatically as you can) and keep on going.

What’s the point of all this?

When you’re dealing with a group change, no matter how much you discuss deciding, document deciding and ask permission people will always ask these three questions, and more.

These stopper questions are just a muddy field in front of your fast car.

Don’t let them drag you into the mud.

Steer clear of the mud and keep driving change.

When Seth Godin gives you an opportunity, you take it.

Join me at Cloverleaf Tavern and Pizza (1240 Hollis St, Bremerton, Washington) for worldwide-meet-the-tribe-of-Linchpins Day, Monday June 14th.  We’re meeting up  in the back room at 5:30 pm.  You can sign up for the event at Meetup.com.

Whether it’s two of us or 200, I know we’re going to have a great time on Linchpin Day.

Will you join me?

If you can’t join us in Bremerton, start your own event or join one in your area.

You don’t have to be alone on Linchpin Day.