From the Ask Tom mailbag:

Question:
With the basic understanding that I now have about Time Span, I am curious how deep in the organization to take it? How do you explain Time Span to Stratum II or even Stratum I?

Response:
The principles of Time Span are absolutely applicable throughout the organization. How we talk about Time Span will depend on the purpose of the discussion. Let the purpose of the discussion be your guide.

Let’s start with Stratum I, because I sense that is where you are having difficulty. How would you explain Time Span to people in Stratum I roles? What would be the purpose?

The simple elegance of Time Span is that it comes from setting goals. It is the “by when?” of the goal (what? by when?). Is it important to set goals for those in Stratum I roles? Then, let that be my purpose.

When I talk about Time Span with people in Stratum I roles, I simply talk about their goals. “What do you need accomplish? By when?” It is a straightforward and important conversation.

Avoid the temptation to make Time Span more complicated.

How do we explain Time Span to those in Stratum II roles? Tomorrow.

Time Span is the cornerstone of the research conducted by Elliott Jaques and Kathryn Cason.