Leaders Light The Path

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You better pay attention

A harsh comment by Steve Jobs and how we can turn it into a meaningful lesson about meeting time

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Transcript
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After Andy Miller had sold his company to Apple, he reported directly to Steve jobs.

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In an interview, he explained what it was like when he wasn't paying attention

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for a brief moment in a meeting.

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Jobs immediately pulled him out and said to him: “You weren't paying attention.

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If I ever noticed that again, you'll never again, sit in one of these meetings.”

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It sounds harsh, but it makes sense when you turn it into a bidirectional deal.

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You must pay attention.

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But at the same time you get the right to demand that the content is worth

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paying attention to, that we don't waste anyone's time with the things

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we're discussing in the meeting.

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Essentially, as the leader, you not only demand attention, but you also demand

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to make good use of the attention.

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For example, you guarantee everyone the right to point out when someone,

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and that includes you, when someone speaks a lot without saying much,

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when someone waste everyone's time with not getting to the point.

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When you demand that everyone pays attention, it means that there's an

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incentive for everyone to prepare their material in a way that makes

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it worth paying attention to.

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How can you create an environment where everyone pays attention because

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it's worth paying attention, where you make the best possible use of

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the time together in a meeting.

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