Working Style

"There is great disorder under heaven. The situation is excellent".

Each of us has her own character, so if we are going to be collaborating in some way it is probably a good idea if you know something about the way I work. What the past has demonstrated most clearly is that I work best with people who have a strong commitment to getting the job done, are sure of themselves, and who have a real penchant for team work.

Before taking this much further, you will probably wish to hear from some of my references, including from people who have actually worked with me on some of our tougher challenges. This we can handle when you wish. In the meantime here are twenty things I try to do consistently every time I sit down to work. . .

Keep focus (i.e., work in the areas where I have over my career established a base of experience and some comparative advantage)
Tackle only important challenges, where it is accepted that the agenda needs to be moved ahead -- and then get in there and make a difference.
Work only with people and groups who are genuinely committed to success.
And who want to work with me (as I am, warts and all).
Chaos and uncertainty are the normal order of things. Our job is to piece our way through all this to obtain our well thought-out objectives.
Start with a blank piece of paper, a pen, and an open mind.
Listen to people. Really listen. They are trying to say something and we need to understand their point of view as well.
Open minded and truly intellectually curious. Out-of-box thinking (especially in the face of clear in-the-box constraints).
High energy, high commitment to success, high confidence.
Big house/big outreach: World wide networker. Inclusive Opportunistic. Synergistic.
Willing to be very messy and unfocused in early stages of problem scoping and solving (Herman Melville put it like this in his preface to Moby Dick: "There are some enterprises in which a careful disorderliness is the true method").
Believe in playing with ideas, laughter as a tool for team building and shaking up easy thinking. Leave max room for creativity
Stay comfortable working under pressure.
Self-critical. Always try to get the bad news early. Able to deal with setbacks and fight back to success.
When the going gets tough: keep talking, keep listening, remember we're not always perfect and may have to do some adjusting as we listen and learn.
Deal with challenges and solve them in layers, not necessarily all at once.
When taking on tough challenges, aim for a few small early successes to prove the principle of the larger plan.
Maximize contributions and leadership roles of women, youth, the handicapped, and above all those directly concerned with the issues at stake.
Work with young people and help form them into team workers and leaders. (They'll be the ones in charge before you know it.)
Lead by example. Share credit. Take blame.

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