“Creating Time” (Amazon affiliate link) by Vickie Gray is a book about how highly effective teams end up creating time by following a unique set of protocols. The cool thing is no one made these protocols up. They were discovered by observing highly effective teams over a 15-year period. Don’t worry; you can get the core protocols for free at liveingreatness.com.
What great teams do
Yesterday a friend on Twitter asked for clues about the takeaways I would share today. Following is the tweet I sent:
“Come to the team with a clear head and pure intentions or don’t come.”
“Creating Time” is a great book so please don’t let this oversimplification make you say something like, “I already know that. I don’t need some book to know that.” Instead, know that this book provides the tools and techniques to make sure you show up in the right frame of mind and not let “The Monster” steal time from you. Who is that monster anyway?
Never settle
Here’s a line from the book that caught my eye:
It takes integrity to stand up and say, “We have not shown accountability for the results we promised. We said they would be great and on time, they’re neither. I’m not going to sit back and be mediocre. Will you help me make this great?”
This quote appears 17 percent into the book according to my Kindle app. It was at that moment I knew I was hooked and would finish the book. I have a personal mantra to “never settle” and by that I mean don’t settle for less than you and your team are capable. Push hard and deliver the best you can. Ask for help when you must and never be ashamed of failing when you’ve reached for the stars.
Remember that monster?
Gray says, “Feedback in the form of unsolicited advice is almost guaranteed to spawn monsters.” I think we all have those friends and co-workers who want to “fix” everyone and everything around them. I don’t know about you, but when I ask for feedback that does not automatically mean I need help “fixing” anything.
Gray goes on to say, “If you and I are on a great team, and I ask for your help with a problem, your first response is not to give me the answer. Your first response is to ask me a question.” Some of my best friends frustrate me to no end by asking me “why” until I want to punch them in the teeth. Of course, I want to punch them because they are making me tear apart my own ideas. It’s painful but not nearly as hurtful as someone saying “that will never work.”
My favorite line in the book
Entrepreneurs are a special case. The boss often continues to participate on the employee team creating products. The unique case of a boss being a team contributor as well requires more clarity about what role is in play in any conversation.
Let’s just say this quote has helped me have a better understanding of why Shelby sometimes replies “Yes, bossman” to me and not in a complimentary tone of voice. It’s a reminder that I’ve slipped into boss mode when I should be in team mode.
I’ve spent the last two years of my life dedicated to building my company ColorMetrix into a highly effective team. “Creating Time” has helped me benchmark our successes and realize where we still have plenty of room for improvement. It’s a worthwhile read and I recommend you pick a copy up and give it a read.