By Peter Jeff
The Leadership Mints Guy

Here’s an idea to set the stage for a more productive project. Reading time: 3:13.

The plateful of biscuits on the conference room table seemed out-of-place. Unusual, since no food was ever available at staff meetings. Coffee. Water. And down to business.

But today’s staff meeting was special: the launch of a new project.

The leader had an added agenda item: stimulate his staff to conduct even more research, execute even more preparation than they would normally do in launching a new project.

He knew his words would not be as effective as some sort of demonstration that highlighted the significance of detailed research. Cue the biscuits.

As the leader personally passed the plateful of biscuits to each of his staff, he explained that the word “biscuit” stems from French meaning “twice cooked” – “bis” (twice) and “coquere” (to cook). That’s because biscuits were originally cooked in a twofold process: first baked, and then dried out in a slow oven. The two-step process prevented spoiling and sustained sailors on long voyages.

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