Welcome to Minute with Mallon!

Something I Taught:

Do you ever start a conversation with a specific subject in mind and it somehow gets derailed? Super frustrating, I know. Well, I have a solution that works every time! It's called:

The Parking Lot Strategy!

A couple weeks ago I was working with a client who told me about a conversation he was having with two of his employees who worked on the manufacturing floor.

He went into the conversation with a very specific purpose of pointing out one particular thing that he wanted them to take care of.

As soon as he finished telling them what he wanted, they brought up two completely different subjects that had nothing to do with the reason he started the conversation. And they were both basically complaints about some changes that they felt were needed.

They basically HIJACKED the meeting!

He told me about how frustrated he became, how by the end of the conversation the original purpose had been completely lost and overshadowed.

So I told him about the parking lot.

In business meetings or discussions, the term "parking lot" is often used to temporarily set aside topics or ideas that are not relevant to the current discussion, allowing the conversation to stay focused. It's a way to acknowledge important points without getting sidetracked.

Here's an example:

In a manufacturing meeting focused on improving production efficiency, a team member raises a concern about the quality of packaging materials. While important, discussing packaging materials might derail the current discussion on machine maintenance.

The team leader could say, "Let's put the packaging material discussion in the parking lot for now and address it in our next meeting on quality control. Right now, let's focus on the maintenance schedule to ensure our machines run smoothly."

This approach keeps the meeting focused on the immediate priorities while acknowledging the importance of other issues for future consideration.

Try it next time this happens. And by the way, it works in personal conversations too!

Hope this helps!

Something to Ponder:

If you don’t like how things are, change it. You’re not a tree. 🤣

Jim Rohn.

Something I Learned:

I have a dear friend named Joshua Aldrin. He is the defensive coordinator of the Greater Atlanta Christian School. He's also a beast. Once he showed me a video of him bench pressing 225 pounds 40 times in one setting. At the time, he was in high school! WHAT???

Anyway, last year I had the opportunity to work and go deep with him and 7 other men in their leadership development. In our June meeting he was giving a very inspirational talk and said this:

"Fatigue makes cowards out of all of us."

I had to write that one down and it's stuck with me ever since.

As leaders, we are in the trenches a lot. What we do is not easy. So make sure you're getting plenty of rest and relaxation!

Several minutes ago, I went out to our vegetable garden for about 15 minutes. I've been coaching clients all morning and had a short break between sessions, so I went out and just pulled weeds so that I'd be ready to plant. Feel like a million bucks now!

So make sure you disengage, get some mental and physical rest, and fight that fatigue!

Be a WARRIOR like my brother Joshua!

Something I Saw:

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Together, let's make a difference!

Robert

Minute With Mallon: The Parking Lot Strategy!