2
LIFTOFF

Iris turned to me. “I hope I didn’t offend you…by saying that I didn’t need help with meetings.”

“Oh no,” I replied. “I understand completely.”

She fidgeted in her seat for a moment.

“I’ve noticed lately—there’s a lot more leg room on these flights.”

“There sure is,” I agreed, smiling gently. Iris was quiet for a moment.

Suddenly she asked, “How exactly do you help people with meetings?”

I smiled again. “At first, you may think my approach is a bit odd.”

“No I won’t,” said Iris emphatically. “I promise.”

“Okay,” I said. “If you feel like a hamster on a wheel—running harder and faster but getting nowhere—that’s a serious problem. You need more than just a few tips and tricks to reclaim your life.”

“Sounds reasonable,” encouraged Iris.

“We need a whole new way to meet, something revolutionary. And the good news is that this revolution has already begun. It’s taking off around the world and anyone can join.”

“Does this movement have a name?” she asked, raising her eyebrows.

“The Hamster Revolution for Meetings.”

I heard some snickers from behind us. Apparently, other passengers were eavesdropping.

“Ridiculous name,” said one with a smirk.

“But keep talking, we’re drowning in meetings too!” grinned another.

Iris continued. “What’s involved with,” she formed quotation marks with her paws, “joining?”

“For starters, you make a commitment to be responsible for the value of meetings you both run and attend. Then you master a new set of meeting tools and share them with other hamsters.”

“So it’s a productivity cult for rodents,” said Iris with a wicked grin.

“People join because they’re sick and tired of feeling trapped in the meeting cage,” I explained. “It’s an escape plan that helps you reclaim your life and get more done.”

Her grin disappeared and she looked wistful. “A day full of useless meetings can really be exhausting. And then I have to stay late to catch up on assignments and email. That’s why my family hates me these days.”

“So meetings are messing up things at home?”

“Uh huh,” said Iris resignedly. “How is your approach different from the training we had last year?”

“There are huge differences,” I said. “Instead of teaching you everything under the sun, we focus on your five biggest meeting pain points—the ones that are causing 80 percent of the problems.”

She seemed to approve of this approach. “So I don’t have to spend two whole days becoming a meeting goddess?”

I shook my head and continued, “And this revolution isn’t just for leaders. As I said, everyone must contribute to the effectiveness of meetings.”

Iris thought for a moment. “That makes sense. These days everyone on our team both schedules and attends meetings—it’s not just a leader thing.”

“Exactly,” I said. “And this revolution is designed for the information age. It’s all about the way information flows through your meetings and the technology we use to plan, schedule, and follow up. That’s why they call me an info coach rather than a meeting coach.”

Just then the captain came on. “There’s an opening in the storm, folks, and we’re finally cleared for liftoff.” Our jet began to move down the runway, slowly gathering momentum.

“So you think you can help me?”

“I know I can,” I said confidently.

“And this hamster thing—which frankly sounds too good to be true—will save me time?” she asked, raising her voice over the revving jet engines. We were rocketing forward, gathering momentum.

“Fifteen days a year!” I said loudly. “And we’ll get Operation Elevation and your life back on track.”

Iris thought for a moment as the jet neared liftoff speed.

“Do I have to sign anything?” she asked with a cautious smile.

“No,” I laughed, “but you do have to commit to making every meeting better than the last.”

“I guess I could do that,” she said in a tone that still conveyed some doubt. Then she brightened. “Okay, Coach, I’ll join!”

She raised a tiny fist into the air and cried, “Go hamsters!”

There was a smattering of applause and laughter from our fellow passengers as the big jet rose off the runway, powering its way into the sky. A moment later we broke through the clouds and suddenly the cabin was filled with sunlight.

We were finally on our way.