An Hour of Focus for Coca-Cola and Crowdsourcing

During one of my many Southwest flights commuting up and down the east coast, I came across this article in Spirit, the in-flight magazine. Before you pass judgement, I’d like to state for the record that the magazine’s really pretty good. Plus, there’s not much else to do while I’m listening to the safety features for the hundredth time and waiting impatiently to turn on my laptop.

Anyway, there was an article about what Coca-Cola’s CEO Muhtar Kent does to get focused and stay on top of things as he watches over a company of over 92,000 employees in 200 countries. To manage his time and perspective, he spends an hour a day on some key tasks:

15 minutes: Go To Rehearsal – “I can’t delegate communicating Coke’s vision. It’s the most critical thing I do. Every day, I shut my door for 15 minutes to rehearse communications, whether it’s with a journalist, an investor or other stakeholders.”

5 minutes: Keep a Journal – “Besides my Blackberry, I couldn’t function without my little black book. After every meeting, I spend 5 minutes jotting down my expectations and what I need to do next. The physical act of committing next steps to paper also send a message to my team about who is accountable and how I want something executed.”

10 minutes: Get Advice – “I’ll ask a colleague for advice at least once a day for 10 minutes. I have a stable of advisors who I’m comfortable calling, questioning and then listening to what they have to say. There’s not a person alive who can’t improve on his listening skills.”

10 minutes: Phone Home – “Here’s another basic human need that is too often neglected by busy executives, and I’ve been just as guilty as anyone. My busy travel schedule often keeps me far from home and family. Taking even 10 minutes out of a crazy work day to connect with the people closest to you is a great grounding experience and a way to remind yourself of what’s most important.”

20 minutes: Be Responsive – “If someone took the time to send me a thoughtful message, I owe him the same respect. Twenty minutes at the end of the day usually achieves this, even if it’s just to say I’ll get back to him later.”

Even if we’re not all CEOs of major corporations, this is still good advice. We could all use a little more focus, regardless of the job we’re in and the industry we support.

But let’s not stop there. This is actually really good advice for your community as well. Not quite sure how? Let me translate:

15 minutes: Go To Rehearsal – “I can’t delegate the vision of the community. Every day, I shut my virtual door to rehearse communications, whether it’s with the crowd or the client. The community will foster the vision, but the foundation of this vision still needs to come from us.”

5 minutes: Keep a Journal – “Besides my iPhone, I couldn’t function without my little digital black book. After every contest and/or crowdsourcing task, I spend 5 minutes jotting down our initial expectations, the final results and what we need to do next to make it more successful going forward. The physical act of committing next steps to paper (or computer file) sends a message to the team about our accountability to the successes and failures. It also sends a message to the community that we’re dedicated to improving the process and their overall user experience.”

10 minutes: Get Advice – “I’ll ask the community for advice, feedback and opinion once a day. The members of our crowd are engaged with our community, our competitions, our clients and the greater online world every day. Listening to their needs and their suggestions will not only provide me with new insights, but also foster greater loyalty within the community. There’s not a person alive who can’t improve their listening skills and I can assure you the community appreciates that you’re listening to them.”

10 minutes: Phone Home – This quote doesn’t need any translating and should stay exactly as it is. Whether you’re managing yourself, a team, a corporation and/or a community, taking the time to connect with those you love is absolutely one of the most important tasks to perform during the day.

20 minutes: Be Responsive – “If someone took the time to post to our online forum with a thoughtful message, I owe them the same respect. I’m as much a part of the community as they are. Twenty minutes at the end of the day usually achieves this, even if it’s just to say thanks, we appreciate your input and we’ll get back to you later.”

It comes down to this – your community is an important aspect of any crowdsourcing and/or social company. They deserve and require the same focus as your staff, customers and shareholders do.

What do you think? Comment and let’s discuss.