First Things First

Leadership, Chapter 2

The Morning Meeting

Giuliani's begun every single morning since 1981 with a meeting of his top staff. The importance of this meeting, he insists, cannot be overstated. The idea is to get as much work as possible out of the way in the first hour of the day. The frequency of the meetings allows constant follow-through. This is to the point of Parkinson's Law about "work expanding to fill the time available" -- plans evolve slowly if access only occurs once a week.

Here's how it worked. Top staff -- between 15 and 20 people -- convened around a table at 8:00.

1. Typically, the meetings begin with a few minutes of joking around. The socializing and simple daily contact prevents resentment from festering when conflict inevitably happens.

2. For 45 to 90 minutes we go around the table, with each person sharing any pertinent news regarding their responsibilities.

3. Participants are not to display mastery of the details of their areas of responsibility, but are to share and receive information that would be useful to the entire group. So each attendee is welcome to speak, but is not required to do so. There are no points for talking to hear one's own voice. Along the way problems are expected, mentioning them is encouraged, covering them up is intolerable.

4. At the end of the meeting, Giuliani says "okay, that's it," and the meeting adjourns.

Saying Thanks

Giuliani thinks it vital to go out of his way as many times as possible to thank the people who have done so much for New York City -- the prisons, fire houses, hospitals, police stations, and other institutions. One formal way he did so was a traditional New Year's Day "cookie run" where he delivered treats to those working that evening. One of the best parts of any leadership role is getting the chance to let people know how much their work means to you.

Starting Small with Success

Giuliani always looks for a clear, decisive victory as early as possible. Two examples:

1. Banishing infamous squeegee operators -- panhandlers who would walk up to a car, wipe the windshield, and then ask for payment with varying degrees of urgency/menace. While the estimate was a couple thousand of these people, there turned out to be only about 180 once action was taken.

2. Reducing hotel surtax from 6 to 5 percent (revenues actually rose).

3. Providing 4,000 file cabinets to Children's Services case workers, increasing organization such that children's lives wouldn't be jeopardized by the misfiling of a crucial document due to files being strewn about the floor.

Sweat the Small Stuff

A person who does this is open to micromanaging. But understanding how something works is not only a leader's responsibility. It also makes him or her better able to let people do their jobs.

I think that last sentence reveals another valuable lesson when making tough decisions: Focus on the greater good, over personal good. When Giuliani had to cancel a Manhattan street fair in the aftermath of 9/11, he gave this reasoning: (1) It lessens demand on police, who have better things to do right now, (2) it'll increase traffic in stores, which provide permanent jobs, (3) it reduces traffic while trying to get big clean-up vehicles in and out. The greater good of the store owners and victims of tragedy were emphasized.

Summary

Not every operation needs a morning meeting, but the emphasis on accountability is a remarkable lesson. I've recently heard the phrase "what gets measured, gets done" and it has application here. If progress is recorded daily, then it's more likely to emerge monthly. It also gives the leader the opportunity to understand the operation at a deeper level, and so to give thanks. We'll come up with small victories each year, because I'm confident that the list of possibilities is ample. We'll come up with metrics -- meaningful, non-cumbersome ones. I'll ask probing questions. And I'll make sure to thank people often!