Principle: Act with the expectation of positive intent

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Always assume that the person on the other end of the conversation/email/star phone is acting with positive intent and honest motives. They are *not* some Machiavellian creation dispatched from a labratory specifically designed to make your life miserable.

“Well that’s obvious” you say. Is it? Really? How often have you attributed motives to someone’s decision not to invite you to a meeting? How often have you read every third word in an email and dashed off a response because you just “know this person is BCCing people.” I know, I’ve done it. Probably a few times in the last week. Slow Management is a learning experience…

It takes effort to emphasize with the other person. It takes patience to listen. It takes humility to accept that the other party actually knows better than you. That’s why many of the experiments are focused on not responding right away to ensure more considered engagement.

Why does this matter for Slow Management?

First: For your own sanity. Not to get all new agey, but negative energy is a bitch. If you allow it, it will take you down into a spiral that just increases the toxicity. Then you are no good to anyone. And you will pull others into it.

Second: To empower people. The positive side of this principle is the wonderful power of saying “yes” to people because you trust what they are trying to do. I once did an experiment of just saying “yes” to any suggestion from the team. It was chaotic but produced tremendous progress. People know what to do and how to do it.

Tips to make it happen:

  • It goes without saying, but you have to focus. Multitasking makes it easily to assume bad intent.
  • Know your triggers. One of mine is people who talk too much and will color my impression of what someone is trying to do. Remember, they are *your* triggers so you need to fight through them.
  • Real-time feedback. Don’t let things fester. If someone has done something that causes you concerns, bring it up. Again, sounds easy but sending a snarky email is just so… much… easier.

And most of all… know that it is just work after all. Know when to walk away and come back at it another day.

 

 

 

Experiments + Principles = Slow Management

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I’ve had some positive feedback from people about the experiments listed on this site–mostly from likeminded people who want to exert some control over electronic distractions.

The experiments are actually a means to an end, and that’s where the principles come in. The purpose of this site is to explore the impact of slowing down and managing effectively–both yourself and others. The experiments and possibly others should give you the time to do that.

Slow Management takes time and effort. It takes focus and engagement. You can’t do that if you are buzzing around answering the lastest flashing light or beep. So the first and most critical step is to create the space. Some good resources are:

  • Bit Literacy by Mark Hurst: A good way to deal with the digital weight before it overwhelms you.
  • Getting to inbox zero: It can be a bit of a false god, but the practices are worthwhile whether or not you keep a clean slate.
  • The 22 Minute Meeting: Meetings have become a universal time suck. Or more correctly, badly run meetings are the suck.

I’m going to flesh out the principles more in the coming weeks. Just wanted to lay out the relationship between the two main elements of this site.

Eight Principles of Slow Management (alpha)

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As prompted by @brandonschauer, here is a alpha of the minimally viable principles of Slow Management. Looking for feedback with further detail to come in future posts:

**Updated with Edits thanks to @digitalacolyte**

  • Act with the expectation of positive intent
  • Credit is karma–don’t try to control it, but be sure to give it to those who deserve it
  • Talk less and do more–don’t over-explain to be smart
  • Cut down on sources of stimulation
  • Fatigue is the enemy so be fit enough to fight it
  • Develop outside interests and provocations
  • Be engaged and engage others
  • Be open and consistent in communication–to provide context for the future

Continue reading →

Slow is Fast

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Sure, Slow Management is about maintaining sanity. It is also about speed. And no, this isn’t a contradiction.

Obviously, it is amazing what you can do when you focus on work and not the dizzing dance of distractions flying about like incontinent dung beetles. I won’t rant and rave about the impact of rampant multitasking–this article should do the trick.

Continue reading →