Flourish - Latest Edition - Flipbook - Page 40
Make async your default, and
meetings your exception
Think of asynchronous work as your
baseline. Meetings are for the moments
that truly need a live conversation. Try these
simple rules:
1. Write 昀椀rst, talk second.
Before booking a meeting, create a short
written brief:
• What decision do we need
• What are the options
• What do you recommend
• What input do you need from others, by
when
This turns time zones into an advantage
because people can respond during their
own daylight hours.
2. Use a 24 hour decision window.
Instead of “Can everyone jump on a call
today?”, try:
• “Please add comments by 2 pm
Melbourne time tomorrow”
• “Decision will be made at 3 pm
tomorrow unless new risks are raised”
This gives everyone a fair shot to contribute,
even if they are asleep right now.
3. Record the outcome, not the saga.
After any decision, capture a one minute
summary:
• Decision
• Owner
• Next step
• Date due
• Risks or dependencies
If someone wakes up to 86 messages, they
can still understand what actually happened.
Build a realistic
overlap model
Most global teams do
best with a predictable
overlap window, even
if it is small. A practical
approach is:
• Identify a two hour
overlap that is
tolerable for most
regions on most
days
• Use it for the
highest value live
collaboration:
decision calls,
con昀氀ict resolution,
relationship building
• Keep everything
else async
If you cannot 昀椀nd a
two hour overlap that
is humane, that is your
signal to change the
system, not just the
meeting times.
