TEAL Tuesday’s
How ‘working’ less can create more value
I know I’m long overdue with a blogpost on my first month in a TEAL Organisation. But I’ve been having too much fun and haven’t found time to sit down and write. In fact there are a lot of things I haven’t found time to do. I haven’t found time to exercise, I haven’t found time to draw, and I haven’t found time to read or have philosophical discussions with friends.
I’m not complaining. My first six weeks have been nothing but extraordinary. I’m blessed with amazing colleagues. We’re doing interesting work. I’ve personally been involved in developing an app in 3 weeks (when everybody said it couldn’t be done.) We’ve developed and tested an excel course, and have created a VR cube, where we offer Virtual Reality experiences to the public. From a TEAL perspective we’ve agreed a process to set our own wages, which 3 people have already done. And we’re well on our way in creating an equity plan where we all can become owners. In short, this TEAL thing is really working out.
But this post is not about my first few weeks at Kugghuset. That will have to wait. This post is about a decision I made yesterday to no longer go to the office on Tuesdays… It’s also about how TEAL made that decision not only easy, but obvious.
Here we go! I spent most of my Sunday in bed after having DJ’ed Saturday night. I felt like I wasted my day. I wanted to exercise, but was to tired. I wanted to go outside and enjoy the nice weather, but couldn’t bother to get dressed. So instead I wasted my time on Facebook, and finally decided to watch a TED talk to at least feel like I got something done. I searched for talks about TEAL and stumbled upon this one by Ricardo Semler who among other things spoke about his ‘Terminal days’. Ricardo’s family seems to be predisposed to a form of cancer which has claimed several lives at a too early stage. Ricardo goes on to resonate that when people get a diagnosis and are told they have 6–12 months left to live, they try to live out all their dreams that they never had time for. But they do this in a state of sadness and sickness while preparing to die. An alternative could be to live out our dreams today, instead of waiting for a diagnosis? So in his wisdom Ricardo decides to take Monday’s and Thursday’s off work and spend them on the things that matter. He calls this his terminal days.
This got me thinking. I’m fortunate to be working in a TEAL organizations. I love what I do and how we do it, but there are lots of important things in my life that I am not finding time to prioritize. What would happen if I allocate one day per week to do all those things I find important? I doubt my value att Kugghuset correlates to the number of hours I work, so it wouldn’t negatively impact my output. Why not just exchange one day per week for a 20% reduction in salary, which would even reduce our burnrate in preparation for an expected slow summer? Everybody wins!
So Monday morning (yesterday) I excitedly rushed to the office to tell my colleagues about my idea. We use an advice process to make any important decisions, which basically means that I’m free to make any decision I want, as long as I seek input from the people who will be impacted by it. I talk with four colleagues, and I get nothing but positive input. They are proud that I choose to focus on what’s important in my life. They agree with the rationale. They feel that me taking time outside the office will allow me to have bigger and bolder ideas which in turn will benefit Kugghuset. Some even feel I shouldn’t reduce my salary at all, but instead see this as just another way to create value for Kugghuset. I’m congratulated for leading by example, and showing that work doesn’t have to be defined or constrained by the traditional structures of working hours and being in the office. I’m high on life!
Today, Tuesday, less than two days from watching the TED talk, I’m taking my first TEAL Tuesday. I call it a TEAL Tuesday to illustrate that it’s not a day off work. I’m not in bed being lazy, or spending my time looking at cats on Facebook :) I got up at 7am. Had a nice breakfast and went to the gym. I then made my way to Hellasgården and walked 5km’s around the lake while contemplating the implications of my TEAL day. I had my first swim of the season before re-reading the first few chapters of Reinventing Organizations, and now I’m sitting outdoors in the shade of a tree writing this blogpost and preparing for a class on TEAL that I’m holding tomorrow.
In fact I’ve committed to myself and my team that this day is about self development. I’ll make sure to include exercise, a walk in nature or a visit to a museum, time to write or draw or be creative in other ways, time to read and reflect or to have a philosophical discussion with someone who can challenge me and expand my perspectives. I am certain that I personally will benefit form my TEAL Tuesdays, and excited about the potential outcomes for Kugghuset. I’m also hopeful that this will inspire my colleagues to find their own ways of integrations life and work, and finding time for what’s important. I did take a 20% cut in my salary, but we’re undecided if it’s a taking-the-day-off-discount, or just a summer-discount. We will revisit this after summer, but until then my Tuesday’s have a new purpose!
Tomorrow I’m excited to host my first class on TEAL at Everyday School. If you’re in the Stockholm area, please sign up and drop by. I’d love to have you join in on the conversation!
Happy Tuesday!
