| y"> | | | | In today's sterile (in my opinion, anyway) work |
| Before there was project management software, | | | | environment, there's little time for lunch, and even |
| desk-bound power bar lunches (and dinners), and | | | | less time for fun. It's all about power and speed. |
| every kind of cessation support group, there was | | | | Funny thing is, there is no power in power bars, |
| lunch at a restaurant on payday, cocktail napkins (on | | | | PowerPoint or show of power days. And, speed kills. |
| which to rest the occasional cocktail), and shared fun | | | | We're asked to embrace teamwork, but there's no |
| - all in the middle of the reasonable work day. | | | | team in the room at performance appraisal time. |
| What was so wonderful about these lunch time | | | | We're told to think outside the box, but we're more |
| get-togethers was that they took place in someplace | | | | often rewarded for getting it "right," than getting it |
| other than the workplace, and not always the same | | | | different. In office, out loud laughter is a rarity (and |
| place. Looking back, I realize that those lunches | | | | an "LOL" text ain't no substitute!!) |
| usually involved: | | | | After all the leadership training, many of us are still |
| - Teamwork (at least two of us in attendance) | | | | more comfortable taking direction than making |
| - Decision making AND diversity (Italian, Chinese, or | | | | direction. We avoid accountability at the same time |
| burgers - not to mention dessert, anyone?) | | | | we claim credit. And we make no moves without a |
| - Finance (Ann had the extra cheese, so her bill is | | | | mostly pointless 50+ page PowerPoint presentation |
| $1.00 more) | | | | at the ready. Speak softly and carry a big "deck." |
| - Dependencies (I'll have what she's having) | | | | Sigh... |
| - Leadership (waitstaff instinctively knew the leader; | | | | Project planning has moved far from the cocktail |
| s/he got the check) | | | | napkin to intricate, time-consuming, bell-and-whistle |
| - Reasonable risk (OK, I'll have one glass of wine with | | | | laden multi-megabit software. Project Managers are |
| lunch) | | | | now certified, and add "PMP" on their |
| - Empowerment (I know what I want, I'll order first | | | | résumé. All it takes is about 20 |
| while you make up your mind) | | | | training days, and a few homework assignments; no |
| - Compromise (let's share one entrée) | | | | real projects with which to get hands on experience. |
| - Congeniality (we laughed - out loud - and enjoyed | | | | To paraphrase Three Six Mafia's Oscar-winning song, |
| ourselves and each other) | | | | it's hard out there for a PMP! |
| - Measures of success (that was delicious, let's do | | | | More time is spent now managing the project |
| that again). | | | | software, monitoring tasks, and endlessly updating |
| Sure, at least half of the lunchtime conversation | | | | the plan than on the actual project work itself. There |
| centered on workplace gossip and life-outside-the | | | | are pre-planning meetings, planning meetings, after |
| workplace. Just as often, though, the topic turned to | | | | (little) action review meetings, operations review |
| the one thing we all had in common: our work. | | | | meetings and get-our-story-straight alignment |
| Problems, now referred to as "challenges" or | | | | meetings. After which we submit our |
| "opportunities," were as common then as they are | | | | "accomplishments" lest someone else get credit. All |
| today, and sometimes dominated the hour (yep, a | | | | the while we're starving and cranky because we've |
| whole hour and maybe even an extra 15 minutes!). | | | | not had any lunch or any fun, and the prospect of |
| And where one of us invariably saw roadblocks, | | | | leaving work "early," grows dimmer, along with the |
| rockslides, and stop signs, another of us saw side | | | | daylight. |
| roads, detours, roads less traveled, and new roads to | | | | It's never been truer, in today's work-mad world, |
| be built. Almost everyone had a freely-offered option | | | | that home is where the heart is. Why? Because |
| or what-to-do-to-fix-it opinion. | | | | there is precious little heart in the office or the |
| The opinions and options were often good, and | | | | boardroom, and the rest of our anatomy spends |
| sometimes were written down so they could be | | | | most of its time at work. Heart is left home alone, |
| remembered, brought back to the office, and | | | | along with those whose hearts we profess matter |
| implemented. Not every one carried paper and pen | | | | most. |
| (after all, this was a pre-blackberry world, my | | | | Here's an idea: next time you have a planning |
| friends), so we'd grab the nearest thing at hand - the | | | | meeting, bring a few clean cocktail napkins and |
| mostly clean cocktail napkin and a BIC pen. | | | | throwback BIC pens (no PDAs, no anyberrys, no |
| The cocktail napkin, that little 5 x 5 square that | | | | wireless laptops. You might even have the meeting in |
| started out lunch somewhere between a tablesmock | | | | the corporate café, or nearby eatery. That |
| and a hard place (underneath the cocktail glass). Who | | | | way, you can have lunch, too. Keep the time to |
| knew it could become a vehicle for successful | | | | about an hour, 90 minutes at most. Spend the first |
| project completion! | | | | 15 minutes talking about any and everything but |
| With a few precious words or phrases and an | | | | work. Recall the sound of shared laughter. Then, kick |
| occasional drawing scribbled on the napkin, lunch was | | | | around relevant ideas (the reason for the meeting in |
| happily and productively concluded. If it was a really | | | | the first place), scribble them on the cocktail napkins, |
| big initiative or a particularly complex problem, it grew | | | | pay the check and return to the office. |
| to a two-napkin project plan. | | | | Even better, get a box of cocktail napkins...then you |
| The idea-filled napkin went from tabletop to desktop, | | | | can really think outside the box! |
| from thought to action. No planning meetings, | | | | What's the worst that can happen? You leave work |
| committees or subcommittees, no vying for credit, | | | | at a reasonable hour feeling good about what you |
| and no trees killed. Oh, yes, and we went from work | | | | accomplished - and that you accomplished something |
| to home at a reasonable hour most of the time. | | | | workwhile? The trees will love you for it, too! |