I’m going to give you 100 percent of my 80 percent of my time

I just found an interesting interview with Eric Schmidt that I believe is very interesting. Regarding the hiring and recruiting there are 2 ideas that are very good articulate

1. “You need to develop a culture where people actually are going to do what they’re going to do, and you’re trying to assist them”
2. “So the 20 percent time is a very good recruiting tool, but more importantly it serves as a pressure valve against managers who are obnoxious. So the way it works is, if you’re my manager and you say, “Eric, you know, we’re on deadline, we’ve got a problem,” and so forth. I’ll look at you, and I’ll say, “I’m going to give you 100 percent of my 80 percent of my time.”

It may be, I don’t know, that these rules don’t apply as there are build, but the base for them is people development. This is a very important aspect for each of us, that’s so easy to be ignored or reprioritized.  How many times have you gone to a training that was boring and you checked your emails during it? Or how many times have you left the training room only thinking on the task that you still have to do and with no impact from training day?

Giving the employees the opportunity to choice and sharing the managing authority with them is a big step and leads to a business that is driven by the employee’s creativity and intelligence.

Tags: priorities, product management