Are you ever at the beginning of a meeting, all too aware of a burning problem, and filled with a desire to do something, your firefighting instinct pulsating?
It’s tempting to rush straight into a “What shall we do about…?” discussion and leap to a decision.
Yet it may prove wiser for the conversation at this point to be on the slightly shifted topic of “Getting ready to move forward”.
At a recent executive retreat, for example, we were all keen to begin reshaping our organisation. There were plenty of pressing decisions we could have dived into making. Instead, we took time early in the meeting to make a list of what we had accomplished so far that year.
The tense sense of urgency dissipated, replaced by a resourceful feeling of real accomplishment.
At the start some may have been thinking, we’ve not done anything this year, at least nothing of merit!
But here was the evidence in front of us in the form a flipchart bursting with two full columns of achievements.
Oh, Wow, we did – and are doing – all that!
Which turned out to be a more useful perspective from which to decide what we would do next.
If you want a facilitator to bring out the best for your next important meeting or event, consider hiring PJA. We’d be delighted to help.
