One Brilliant Idea on How to Communicate with Clarity

by Karen Cortell Reisman | Aug 24, 2021

You should try a “Shultz Hour.”

George Shultz, Secretary of State in Reagan’s administration in the 1980’s, developed a weekly habit of closing his door for one hour/week to sit quietly with pen and paper. Purpose: to clear his mind and think big, rather than focus on the minutiae. The only interruptions he’d allow were his wife or the President.

As David Leonhardt reported in a 2.8.21 NYT article about this Shultz Hour ritual, this practice resonates even louder today with our myriad technology interruptions.

“It can be hard to live any other way, in fact. We carry supercomputers in our pockets and place them next to us as we sleep.”

Working with crazy busy CEOs I’m aware that we equate frenetic schedules with success. How often do you hear colleagues humble-bragging about their nutty lives?

To think big, solve complex problems or even see the challenges you need uninterrupted time.

“As Amos Tversky, a pathbreaking psychologist, said, ‘You waste years by not being able to waste hours.’”

Your Speak For Yourself® Challenge

Find an hour/week to digitally detox with pen and paper nearby. Clear your mind. Think big.

Your bottom line results

You will be more creative in your approach to problem solving and idea generation. You will communicate with greater clarity and net more gains – both financially and personally.