A few months ago Chris (Teltek’s fearless leader) asked me to read a book, Make the Noise Go Away, (Larry G. Linne with Ken Koller, 2009). I was excited to get started, but my inner procrastinator kept me from ordering the book for a while. Since I finally got around to reading it (procrastination will be a future subject I’ll be writing about) I wanted to share a few of the lessons I l learned.
The purpose of this small book is to help make life a little easier for your boss (the First in Command) and what steps you can take to “lessen the noise” – otherwise known as the anxiety and worries that could prevent a company’s leader from running the company as effectively as possible. The valuable tips are presented in a narrative story format with only two characters; Jim and Brett.
Jim is the CEO of an energy company and Brett is his vice president. The two of them are on a company retreat at a remote mountain cabin to discuss the future of the company and how they can make it stronger by allowing the CEO focus on what he does best, managing the business.
Jim and Brett have strategy meetings at this cabin that are balanced out by their favorite hobbies; Jim is an avid fly-fishing enthusiast and Brett takes his breaks by mountain biking (Chris likes to mountain bike, while I enjoy hiking) As they acknowledge their strengths, they also collaborate to find where they could improve in communication, organization and the execution of tasks.
It’s a quick read, just over 100 pages and the narrative is punctuated by short lists that summarize the tips the previous chapter introduces. I had quite a few moments of clarity when I realized what I was doing right and what I could be helping with to make Teltek a stronger company and Chris a less-stressed leader so he can focus on more important things, like our annual Margarita Party 😉
Here are a few of the gems I took away:
1. Find our what issues are keeping the First in Command (FIC) awake at night
2. Proactively communicate with each other
3. Anticipate the positive and negative consequences of decisions before they are made
4. Help organize the FIC’s ideas into Now and Later categories
5. Look for opportunities to make the company and FIC look good
6. Encourage other employees to contribute their unique talents to the company’s success
7. Formulate and implement ideas that will improve the business and bring value to it
8. Be accountable for what you say you will do
These are just a few of the helpful pieces of advice in this book. I would recommend reading it and incorporating the ideas into your life. It’s valuable information for all types of personal and business relationships. In a world of text messaging, social media, and smart phones I think everyone could benefit from more direct communication and little less noise!