Ideaschema — Where Ideas Go to Grow

Uncertainty: The Pre-Order Bundle

by Megan M. on August 30, 2011

Today, Jonathan Fields launched a pre-order bundle for his new book, Uncertainty. Included in that bundle is what I believe may be the best work Marty’s ever done — and yes, we’re a teensy bit proud. ;}

“Snuffing out uncertainty leads to a sea of mediocrity, when ‘sweet mother of God’ was just over the hump if only we’d had the will to embrace uncertainty, risk and judgment and hang on a bit longer. If only we’d learned to harness and ride, rather than hunt and kill the butterflies that live in the gut of every person who strives to create something extraordinary from nothing.”

The two pieces we produced involved months of effort, most particularly on Marty’s part. We flew far past the original specs on detail and revision work in our determination to make this one shine, and I do believe we succeeded.

When we read Uncertainty, we knew to expect a certain quality of material — and it still surprised and delighted us. You can get your hands on the book, the prints, and some very slick info-access if you take a look at Jon’s post.

“It’s brutally hard to act in the face of incomplete information or assurances that you’re on the right path. But it’s that very lack of assurance that also serves as proof that the journey you’re embarking on is not derivative. That the quest and its outcome will matter. But to survive along that path, let alone thrive, you’ll need to train deeply in the alchemy of fear.”

Both of these pieces are limited edition giclee prints, sized 16 x 20, archival paper, hand-numbered and signed by Jonathan and Marty both. The print quality is incredible in person — we wanted these to feel physically as powerful as they feel emotionally, to match the quality of the book itself. They’re a powerful source of resonance, reflection and conversation. They make the book’s impact more powerful — for the readers who hold a copy of the book in their hands, and for spreading the ideas within.

If you’d like a copy, and you move fairly quickly, you can find them here.

The Modern Meeting Standard

by Megan M. on August 8, 2011

We believe in Modern Meetings because they’re already improving the way we interact with others in a business context (and honestly, a personal context, too). So we decided to put together a poster that swiftly communicates the tenets of the Modern Meeting standard. You can get a printed copy here.

We’re putting it up on our wall to remind us of the way meetings should be, and you can too. Even better than buying a single copy — Share your stories about meetings and meeting culture to get them free. 100 copies of the book, 25 copies of the poster, and a private company-wide webinar will go to one company on the list. If you have a story and you work for a company that would benefit from improved meeting culture, jump on it.

There’s also an incredible list beginning, where people are adding their support for Modern Meetings. Add yourself or browse the list here.

Marty and I wore two hats on this one: Ideaschema catalyzed the poster, and the Domino Street Team was responsible for the story-sharing campaign setup. It was fabulous working with them!

And I’ve been thinking…

I have many opportunities to use the Modern Meeting standard material, even though I’m not part of a large company. At Productive Flourishing, I can implement these ideas in quick communication & video chats with team members. In our Austin Linchpins group here in town, we can use them toward more effective (and productive) meetups. And of course, at Ideaschema we’re already doing it, saving Marty and me both tons of time.

A hangup of mine is seeking the emotional reassurance of a meeting; if I’m afraid to make a decision myself, getting some other brains on board makes me feel better. But Al’s book has made it clear that the best thing for me to do is not call a meeting — it’s to make a decision. Then, sometimes we’ll need the meeting and sometimes we won’t, but I won’t be using the meeting to avoid making the decision.

Better to make that decision and risk being wrong, than cost everyone more time and emotional energy (and money).

The antidote is the Modern Meeting standard, and a healthy dose of permission to make mistakes. My time is far more productive in the week or so since I discovered that!

About that $0.00 copy…

If you haven’t gotten your copy of the book yet, RUN (don’t walk) to pick up the ebook at Amazon. It’s still $0.00, but I doubt it will stay $0.00 for much longer!

PS. More people talkin’ bout this:

Read This Before Our Next Meeting

by Megan M. on August 3, 2011

In the short time I’ve had this book, I’ve been shocked at how much it’s changed the way I deal with other people.

My meetings are really only for 1 or 2 people most of the time, with occasional split coordination between 3 or 4. I thought, well, I’ll read it anyway and see what I learn.

I learned a LOT.

This book isn’t just for that companies that have meetings of 10 or 20 people at a time — it’s for microbusinesses and solopreneurs, too. It’s great material for anyone who works on a project with even just one other person. When I started doing what Al Pittampalli suggested, all my interactions improved because I was saving everyone a little more time, a little more money, and a little more sanity. It gets better than that, though.

This book has saved me decision anxiety every day since reading it, because I understand better how to make meeting-related decisions. Frankly, when you work for 1 or 2 people at a time, most decisions are meeting-related; they’re all decisions about how to communicate about a project. What has proven delightful is how smoothly things run when you use Al’s template to avoid even the shadow of traditional meetings, at any cost.

This book has brought an enormous amount of clarity to my understanding of meeting culture, including personal/professional responsibility in collaborative efforts.

This book says, Take responsibility and make the decision. It says, Don’t pass the responsibility onto a group of people and slow everything down — unwittingly or otherwise. It puts the meeting instigator on the hook for the success of the meeting and the impact of the meeting on the company’s health.

I’m on the hook for every meeting I do or do not hold, and I don’t even mind. I feel more in control of my own productivity, I feel like I’m improving everyone else’s ability to do what they do… and it’s absolutely fantastic.

Al’s written a book that makes businesses run smoothly, saves them money, and makes employees happier. It’s a really, really great book.

For the next week only, a Kindle copy costs nothing. Start implementing the Modern Meeting standard now — the sooner, the better.