dispatches from the new world of work

Perceived Effort

I'm not going. Nonetheless ...

"They say" that I help them because I condone-certify-applaud their excesses in pursuit of ... innovation, a business start-up, etc. Thank you! I say that the late sports super-agent, Mark McCormack (once voted the most powerful man in sports), condoned and certified me in one of my excessive habits.

McCormack said there are times, and not necessarily that infrequently, when it is wise to travel 5,000 miles for a 5-minute meeting. It was a tactic I started using instinctively years ago, when I was working in Washington, in 1974, on drug abuse issues; the fact that I could say, "Look, I was with Ambassador Moynihan in Delhi just three days ago and he assured me that ..." was, well, a show-stopper. Without fail! (And worth a 25,000-mile roundtrip in 96 hours.)

I'm not going, this time, as I said at the top of this post. Because a tough situation mostly cleared itself up, or at least went sub-critical. But I changed my plans just yesterday, so that I'd arrive in L.A. from Sydney, doubtless exhausted after 14 hours in the air, at 10 a.m., then take off from LAX two hours later for a 1,500 mile one-way trip, be at my destination about 6 hours, then head back to L.A. and immediately go on to Las Vegas for a difficult speech.

But the point here is that I did not hesitate (and it wasn't a critically ill family member or some such personal crisis), and it's something I end up doing at least a couple of times a year. And the power is, as in the D.C. example, literally beyond measure—and almost without fail. Some part is substance, but it's overwhelmingly psychological. The fact that someone would make an "insane effort" (e.g., travel, exhausted, thousands of miles for a 25-minute audience with whomever) almost always breaks a logjam, and sometimes leads to a solution on the spot.

(Incidentally, this timeless tool is arguably more important than ever—in this age of electronic communication, the personal touch has become more valuable because of its rarity.)

Tom Peters posted this on 09/22/07.

Comments

Tom,
For me traveling 1,000 miles for a 5-minute meeting/conversation creates a teachable moment. By nature of the effort I have extended the other person is always open and receptive to what I have to say.

Posted by Paul Thornton at September 23, 2007 2:03 PM

Great insight ... but it requires alerting the target person, in advance, to the fact that your visit is an "insane effort" and that you are not merely "passing through" (and so can be brushed off perfunctorily).

Posted by Mike L at September 23, 2007 4:42 PM

" ... but it requires alerting the target person, in advance, to the fact that your visit is an "insane effort" and that you are not merely "passing through" (and so can be brushed off perfunctorily).

Mike I know I'll catch hell for this, but if you have an assistant and the person you are visiting has an assistant, then you say nothing, and when your assistant calls the main person's assistant about nothing in particular, he-she lets it slip that you made the trip especially to see the main guy. Obviously, if the guy you're calling on asks, "Where are you going from here?" then you've got it made. Bottom line: I totally agree with you, and the issue is tactics.

Posted by tom peters at September 23, 2007 5:07 PM

Mike and Tom,
I think you need to directly contact the target person. I don't think it's as effective when you go the assistant to assistant route. When you tell the target person you are going to drive 4 hours or fly coast to coast for a 5-minute meeting that that makes a huge impact. You have their undivided attention when you meet.

Posted by Paul Thornton at September 23, 2007 6:48 PM

Tom - I have a good friend David who is a carpet fitter. Well over 20 years ago I remember he was told on a Saturday by his supplier that they could not deliver the carpet tiles he needed for a school job he had promised would be done on the Monday. On the Sunday evening he drove a 600 mile return journey to the carpet supplier to pick up the carpet tiles. He laid the carpet on the Monday as promised. He is still talked of with great affection at the school (and as an aside he got loads of work from that school and others in the region to keep him busy for years) â€¦ and I write about it on a world renowned Blog 20 years later. Of course itâ€™s worth it. Not only is it a sound business proposition it is the stuff of legend. Sure it is about tactics and trade-offs but at the end of the day I think it is more about pride, accountability and valuing your customer/vendor.

Posted by Trevor Gay at September 24, 2007 1:56 AM

Mark McCormack and Harvey MacKay were some of the first writers that got me involved in reading business oriented books. Their influence is still being felt years after they swam with the sharks and taught us what Harvard wouldnâ€™t. Classic reading.

Posted by RTodd at September 24, 2007 5:29 AM

Well, yes, but...

Isn't the point about the Mark McCormack story that he wanted to show how much he wanted to win an account?

If you're an established supplier and there's a (near) critical situation, I would be more interested in taking a call from you that says, "I hear we've got a problem. What's your take on it? This is mine. How about I do this straight away with my team to start to address the issue? Are you happy with this as a start or what would you prefer? And can I come see you for a couple of meaningful hours of face time so we can thrash it out in more detail?"

Posted by Mark JF at September 24, 2007 8:58 AM

Outrageous - carbon footprint - please people! Leisure class Eclipse micro-jet around for a 5 minute "meeting". Meanwhile the UN meets this week to "solve" climate change "voodoo science" implications! :>]

Posted by John at September 24, 2007 10:42 AM

There are unmentioned consequences to all actions, John's BS notwithstanding. Every time you make that extra trip, something has to give somewhere else. Maybe it's the child or spouse who has to put up with your absence--again. Maybe it's the long-term effects on health and sanity. I've been doing the road-warrior bit for years and while it may help your business, it can often hurt your life. When you go out of your way for that five-minute meeting you leave someone else in your dust...

Posted by Mike at September 24, 2007 3:27 PM

Well, if you could be lured to Phoenix between Seoul and London, I have a good incentive: Arizona Tempest - not a crisis, but a party - for which you are somewhat to blame.

It's a brand-you, free-the-cubicle-slaves, life-is-one-big-learning-experience event designed to bring poetry into the growing tech sector in AZ. It started as a small seed of an idea and has expanded exponentially into a brewing, benevolent storm. Since I consider you one of my principle muses in creating Arizona Tempest, I wanted to say thank you! and open the invitation to join us on October 20th.

Wishing you well,
Laurie Perez
joy broker

Posted by Laurie Perez at September 24, 2007 7:43 PM

Free cubicle slaves to mobile status! Videoconference elites rejoice - almost never travel since one has their own 24/7 TV station broadcasting from home/office - sleep in one's own bed with favorite chocolate snacks rather than airport & hotel "nutrition". Goooooogle a new fabulous lifestyle then create it as virtual intangible & mobile reality! :>} :>}.

Posted by John at September 25, 2007 10:09 AM