So listen, so learn, so read on, you´ve got to turn the page . . .

I went to a meeting in Sacramento yesterday (more about that later). On the flight up, and while I waited for the meeting to begin, I read a great book. In fact, it was wonderful just to sit outside on the K Street Mall and enjoy the good weather and the sunshine.

I have really enjoyed Patrick Lencioni's books. He is a prominent management consultant who teaches through (semi-) fictional stories, in which the protagonist learns the principles that Pat wishes to teach. It isn't great literature, but I find myself sucked into the stories, and I have learned along with the protagonists. After the happy ending, there is a summary of the principles with additional practical applications. A Past-President of the California Dental Association turned me on to Lencioni's writing, and I have liked all of his books.

In The 3 Big Questions, we meet the Cousins family, Theresa, Jude, and their 4 children. They are typical of the families we know: very busy, very frantic, and overwhelmed at times. Jude made the comment to Theresa "If my clients ran their companies the way we run this family, they'd be out of business." Those could be fighting words in our home. Theresa decided to explore this instead of sulking. She was taught by her husband's partner in the consulting firm what they teach their clients. Then she distilled it into a useful, simpler formula and put it to work in her family. When she began to see positive results, she was elated. Then she began teaching it to her friends.

The three questions are these:
1. What makes your family unique? The answers to this question provide a basis for making family decisions, and help to provide a focus in our busy lives.
2. What is your family's top priority---your rallying cry---right now? This serves as the primary family goal for the next two to six months. This helps to get you out of Covey's Quadrant One.
3. How do you talk about and use the answers to these questions? This is where the first two answers are implemented. The benefits come when the answers are used in day-to-day decision-making and planning.

Some families we know are already doing something similar, but I'm not smart enough to come up with things like this on my own. We will be using it in our family, and I will modify it slightly in my practice, too.

Something else I like about Lencioni is that he posts worksheets on his website for free downloading. Stephen Covey charges for all of his stuff (don't get me wrong on that count---I count Covey as one of the most influential non-fiction writers in my life). You can get the basic worksheet at www.thefranticfamily.com. But I would recommend reading the book to get the full effect. As I said, his other books are excellent, too, and all are quick reads. See his website at www.tablegroup.com. Death By Meeting is particularly good if you are responsible for meetings at work, in Church, or elsewhere. Check them out, and let me know what you think!