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A DAY IN THE WORK LIFE OF PETER RAVEN
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By Susan Caba
As president of the Missouri
Botanical Garden since 1971, and one of the world’s pre-eminent
experts in biodiversity, Dr. Peter Raven’s work requires a multitude
of activities: research, academic lectures and public appearances,
work with international organizations trying to both catalog
and protect a variety of species, far-flung travels and at-home
administration of The Garden. Not to mention his own research
and publication.
Luckily, he says, his own temperament is not only in tune with
that multi-dimensional approach to work, but demands it.
In 1999, Time Magazine named Raven as one of the “Hereos for
the Planet.”
Who or what is your inspiration or motivation?
“When I was a teenager, I used to think ‘I’m not here to take
it easy.’ I like to get things done. Encouraging other people,
seeing them succeed, moving along on a lot of different fronts—I’m
a natural networker, putting people in touch with one another,
keeping them in contact.
“I’m not a list-maker. I’m a pile-maker. I tend to be disorganized.
But I am able to keep a lot of things going at once. That’s
a matter of personality.”
What’s the most efficient or productive time of day for you?
“Any time in the morning. I start early and, like most people,
I am most efficient from then through lunch. Then I slow down.
I’m in the office by 6 or 6:30 a.m. most days.”
How do you use and manage e-mail? Is it a hindrance or a
tool?
“I can get overwhelmed by it. I keep after it almost all the
time. I pride myself on being a networker—and e-mail is a perfect
tool for networking. It can also very quickly become an addiction.
I am not one of those people who look at it once in the morning
and once in the afternoon. I tend to twitchily look at it often.”
What is the most distracting element of your workday/workweek?
How do you manage it?
“I allow myself to be overscheduled with appointments and activity.
It becomes very difficult being able to sort out the most important
things and concentrate on those. I try to keep in focus what
I really have to get done in the next two weeks and, at any
one time, concentrate on those efforts.”
If there is one thing you would like to do differently in
the average workday, what is it? Why don’t you do it?
“I would delegate less.
“The downside of having too many people around you who are good
is that you tend to delegate pretty automatically. And certain
things should not be delegated. Maybe someone asks me a very
remote question that I have no reason to be able to answer;
I shouldn’t go to one of my people and ask them to find the
answer. When you are the CEO and you have very good people around
you and you ask them for something, they feel compelled to get
it done. You’ve done a double disservice by asking them something
they have no reason to be involved with, and you’ve kept them
from the work they should be doing.”
Do you work differently while traveling than in your office?
“On the road, I tend to find it harder to get to the major things.
I find it easier to get to the e-mail and voice mail. To work
on the major projects, I need to have everything around me,
to be in my office and have those calm surroundings. Not only
for research and writing; if I am organizing a two-day conference,
I need the serenity of the office to think about what will be
presented, who will be invited. At least I’ve learned not to
fall too far behind on the road.”
What are some of your rules for success?
“Rules for success? I think it’s very important to keep things
sorted out. The rule that Dick Mahoney (former Monsanto CEO)
established for himself—listing the ten things that need to
be accomplished, doing the top three yourself and receiving
reports on the other seven.
“Keeping everything you have organized, so you can find the
material. If that’s not your style, you try to modify your style
when necessary.
“Surround yourself with very good people who keep things rolling.
I’ve been very lucky in getting very, very good people.”
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