Time revolutionaries

Like many, I admire Warren Buffett, the investor whos the planets second-richest person. I dont admire him for his business acumen or his money, but for his wildly unconventional way with time.

He runs Americas biggest, richest conglomerate empire. But does he rush around? Is he super-busy? Absolutely not. He says he tap dances to work. Once there, he expects to lie on his back and paint the Sistine chapel ceiling. His style, he says, borders on lethargy. He makes very few decisions, only the extremely important ones. By being relaxed and thoughtful, he usually gets them right.

Of people Ive known, who gets my number one time revolutionary award? Step forward Bill Bain, the founder and former leader of a very successful management consulting firm.

I was a partner there for two years . Everyone worked long and hard with one exception. Id often run into Bill in the elevator. He was always dressed immaculately. Always entering or leaving the office, often in spotless tennis gear. Bill made all the key decisions, and made a fortune , with very little time and effort.

Management consulting is hard labor. Yet Jim, a friend and partner, also bucked the trend. We first worked together in a tiny, cramped office, full of noise and frenzied activity. Everyone dashed madly around. Except Jim. There he sat, calmly examining his calendar and languidly writing down his objectives. Our job was to execute them. Jim was wonderfully effective.

Chris was another consultant and time revolutionary. He sold multimillion-dollar assignments. The troops loved him. He was always in the office early in the morning and late at night. Yet his reputation for long hours was undeserved . Chris routinely spent afternoons discreetly playing golf or tennis, at the racetrack, or taking long lunches. Everyone assumed that he was with clients . When I once chided him, he said he was following the 80/20 Way, getting more results with much less energy. I had to agree it was true!