Budget for Thinking Time

July 5, 2007

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Dave Pollard makes some great observations about the skill of thinking. Dave asserts that thinking takes time and…

Thinking is a skill, and like any skill it takes considerable and continuous practice. My sense is that those of us who are paid to think are mostly pretty rusty at doing it. Via How to Save the World

For those service based businesses trying to figure out how much to charge for their services, make sure to include the time you will spend thinking.

I included thinking time (aka downtime) into the prices I charge, otherwise I would not be an effective coach for long – I would burn out.

You Cannot Do It Alone

Dave also states that if you want to have time to think you will need the cooperation of the people you work with.

By listening to and observing staff instead of telling them, we empower them to learn more about what works and how it fits with what others do and need. And it frees up management time for thinking. One person can’t do this alone — it requires an entire workforce that can self-manage and function in a flat and largely unsupervised environment. Do this with the wrong staff and you’re a goner — the power vacuum will be filled by the (probably unqualified) person with the biggest ego, as others willingly allow him/her to take the fall for all the incompetent decisions that ensue.

But in the right organization, self-management can produce amazing results. An organization whose people all have the time and capacity to think effectively, and the authority to act on that thought, will trounce their competitors. Who knows, they might even create a model for a better workplace, and go on to change the world. Aha! Via How to Save the World

Self-directed, self-motivated, and caring people can revolutionize your business and the world. Keep up the great work Dave.

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