I always loved an opportunity to work at home. However, this does not make for shorter working days. Teleconferences are scheduled to last as long as meetings and, as we all know, meetings last too long.
We could communicate better yet our meetings and calls could be much shorter, if we understood that all of our colleagues are not really interested in the same kind of information. This is not mainly due to their particular profession or function, but rather to their "Character": The "Magicians" are focused on what is new. The "Sovereigns" are interested mostly in the overall direction, "Lovers" are absorbed in understanding the impact of decisions on relationships and "Warriors" care almost exclusively about results.
Recognizing within a few minutes and then using the psychological language of each participant in a meeting or call is an invaluable leadership skill. It could be obtained within hours and significantly contribute to the unity of purpose and thus the productivity of any organization.
What could also make for shorter yet better calls is a framework clarifying the relationship between information and knowledge; and another on the steps that we need to follow when we must have a difficult discussion.
