On Doing Things.
Working in academia and avoiding the plague of lethargy can be a challenge. There are carriers of this plague all around, and it’s important to take necessary precautions to avoid infection.
I’m going to go out on a limb and predict that the working climate at my university in many ways mirrors that of yours, and most all other colleges and universities in the entire, world.
There are people who do things, and there are people who talk about doing things. There are people who make decisions, and there are people who gather consensus to form committees which in turn form subcommittees that will eventually meet to consider hiring consultants, who’ll someday make decisions.
People avoid doing and deciding, often because they fear being responsible and accountable.
This kind of culture is truly like an infectious plague. If your goal is to move, make progress, and get results, then you’ll need to limit your exposure and keep your nose to the grindstone, because lethargy and conformity are the enemies of good work.
So now what I’d like to do is discuss a 10 step plan that’ll keep you active and productive.
In offering this list I’m assuming your priority is to work on (and complete) great projects, keep your boss happy, and be a valued asset to your university employer.
- Don’t join unnecessary committees or agree to needless meetings. I’ve found this to be a gigantic time-saver.
- Act like a project manager even if it isn’t in your job description. Talk about “action items” and work to informally associate and attach people to those items.
- Don’t chain yourself to Outlook. Don’t have email open 24/7. I try and “do” email 3 times a day: First thing in the morning. Right after lunch, and quickly before I leave work. Constantly going back and forth between email and web projects will end in lackluster web projects.
- Don’t take on more than you can handle. Word will travel fast if you get a reputation for “doing” things. The goal is to do a great job on a core set of projects, not to do a crappy job on a big pile of “oh by the way, hey can you…”
- Work to remove yourself from unproductive situations and endeavors. Occasionally you’ll come to the realization that a particular project or initiative is going nowhere. Those involved aren’t really “involved” outside of sitting around waiting for something magical to drop out of the sky. This is the part where you look for the nearest exit and slip our the door like a ninja. Politely excuse yourself. Go back to working on projects capable of yielding tangible results within an acceptable time period.
- Identify the loafers and email-shoveling meeting schedulers. This will take time, but be observant and make mental notes. You’ll have a comprehensive working list of loafers in a year or two. Don’t get entangled with these guys. Limit your contact.
- - 10. Off to a meeting. No time to list the last 3 tips.
I hope this list may find some of you who are just starting your career at a University. And I welcome any suggestions for additional items.
I’m glad we had this talk.
Your post was great! I wrote mine just before my weekly meeting, when I was sitting here thinking that I hate meeting. I like your tips immensely. Great work!
I agree with the core premise of your post, but actually DISAGREE with a lot of your tips at the end. I feel like they could end up keeping you wrapped up in your own little world, which prevents you from getting a 40,000 foot view of everything that’s going on. Integration is important and it won’t happen if everyone stays in their silos. I try to go to as many meetings as I can, even if it’s not directly about one of my projects. I bring my computer with me so during the boring parts, I can surf the web, answer email, etc…but I’m also there in case things happen that do or could apply to my world. It may only be 10% of the meeting, but it ends up saving me time later because I’m in at the ground floor of the discussion. A lot of the time to effect REAL LASTING change instead of producing short term results, it’s about taking baby steps. If you’re not in the room or have excused yourself because its not relevant to you right this second, than you’re missing out on potential opportunities.
Karlyn, you know, sometimes you’re just wrong. No, well, I guess it depends on each situation. I’m all about being in touch with people and being involved in relevant meetings and conversations. And I do plenty of that. It’s the fluff I’m talking about. The meetings about meetings kind of stuff and the http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Analysis_paralysis” rel=”nofollow”>”Analysis paralysis” that has the bad habit of creeping into almost anything academic-related. It’s like your productivity can be walking around doing fine then suddenly, steps on a landmine.
“Karlyn, you know, sometimes you’re just wrong.”
But Kyle James says I’m never wrong
What I’m saying is that sometimes meetings don’t SEEM relevant, but then people start brainstorming and go off topic and they become EXTREMELY relevant. It doesn’t always happen, which is why I bring my computer to all meetings – if it doesn’t apply to me, I’m working on something else.
Drew,
Great post here… but one problem… you promise me 10 steps then only give 6! I feel cheated cause your totally onto something here!
Also reading through the comments I’m going to also have to agree w/ you there too Drew. Sounds like my school isn’t the only one, but there are plenty of meetings that I go through that are absolutely POINTLESS! What’s worse than worse is when you have a meeting w/ a department and accomplish nothing and then a month later do the same thing again… It becomes a regular ritual and at that point I bring my Laptop as Karlyn suggested.
After a long day of meetings this post was really interesting. I do think there is value to being a part of “meetings” or conversations that don’t always have to do with your area but are part of the larger picture at your institution.
[...] “On doing things” http://collegewebguy.com/2008/07/16/on-doing-things/ [...]
After working 20+ years in various level of college and university administration, I’d say you’ve nailed this pretty well. Not that there won’t be exceptions, but the higher education commitment to “consensus” indeed inhibits decision making and reduces the committee outcome to things that achieve the widest possible agreement. And that too often means watering things way down.
And so one of the things I don’t miss as a consultant now is committee meetings. My best times in administration were when a few people who worked well together were on a project team working on something where everybody understood the final goal and was willing to share ideas about the best way to get there. But we never, ever called them “committees.”
For the record… Karlyn’s wrong on this one.
I’ve sat through plently of meetings that were not only not productive, but totally ruined my mojo for the rest of the day.
When I started to work remotely, I was able to skip de facto most of the meetings where my presence wasn’t absolutely required. Still, I spent a lot of time in conference calls that weren’t that productive either, but that’s another story.
As a result, I was able to complete a lot more projects than before, but I think I also lost touch with the campus office politics and dynamics – which resulted in some major road blocks.
So, you bring your laptop to the meetings? How do they react if they see you surfing or doing something not related to the meeting? I’m curious.
So now Bob Johnson is on my side. How about that Karlyn?
I think I should explain my current situation and give some background. My web-services boss has grown into a great advocate of well-produced, standards based web development. And he now has the ear of the higher-ups and administrative decision-makers. The result being the rest of our campus web team isn’t forced to politic and attend meetings and exert the kind of evangelical energy that we did in the past. Only now though, things are going so well, and in such a positive direction that I’ve got tons of very important web projects in the works. Big stuff relating to the core of our university’s web presence; the kind of projects we’ve been wanting to address for ages. ….So the struggle for me, now that we’ve been given the green light to go forth and create massive change, is the struggle to fend off and keep at bay the side projects and special initiatives that all seem to have web components and committees attached to them.
I’m trying to eat my steak and these other waiters are steadily approaching and demanding I eat these other entrees. And they want me to stop what I’m doing to talk / discuss.
I just want to eat my steak for a few months and get these really important projects out the door. It doesn’t necessarily mean that I’m not interested in those discussions, it just means I’ve got plenty to chew on at the moment and have been struggling with the management of my time. There I said it.
[...] On Doing Things. – Drew starts a great discussion about getting through the web politics and actually getting to work. What’s your experience? Go leave a comment. [...]
[...] – bookmarked by 2 members originally found by kchanasyk on 2008-07-18 On Doing Things. http://collegewebguy.com/2008/07/16/on-doing-things/ – bookmarked by 4 members originally found by [...]