We are pulled to conform to the group, to participate, to contribute, to say something. Nodding is not enough. Taking notes is not enough. You need to say something. And because this is universal, it sometimes feels as if saying is more important than what you say. Meaning evaporates soon on behalf of content.
You may have been in meetings and conferences where everybody seems compelled to intervene. May worse moment is the ‘do you have any questions moment.’ I wish they didn’t. The short showering of triviality finds you naked with no raincoat.
Many team meetings are composed by walking e-bays selling second-hand thoughts. Nothing is terribly profound or cooked. However, if a figure of status or authority is in the room, the nodding increases and the probability of more second-hand thoughts increases as well. ‘You’ve made a fascinating point Jane.’ Actually, not. BTW, ‘fascinating’ is only reserved for you Jane; otherwise ‘very interesting’ would have done it.
Mind you, this is interesting. When the Brits say ‘this is very interesting’ , chances are it is the least interesting thing. Particularly when the sentence is left hanging as if anticipating a part 2 that never comes. Never take credit for something that a Brit has qualified as ‘very interesting.’
The trouble with group meetings, team meetings and any gathering of humans around mints and biscuits, is that the natives take the campfire very seriously. Uncooked ideas are great if you allocate time for them. Uncooked ideas at the time of serving the meal is only palatable to the few lovers of raw fish.
The best Time Management course is, of course. in Ecclesiastes 31:8: To everything, there is a season and a time to every purpose under the heaven. A time to be born, a time to die. A time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted. A time to kill, and a time to heal. A time to break down, and a time to build up. A time to weep, and a time to laugh. A time to mourn, and a time to dance.
And it carries on.
Even second-hand uncooked thoughts have a time. But it is not all the time.
I am switching off over the weekend, giving my thoughts a chance to avoid becoming e-bay goods.
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Dr Leandro Herrero is the CEO and Chief Organization Architect of The Chalfont Project [1], an international firm of organizational architects. He is the pioneer of Viral Change™ [2], a people Mobilizing Platform, a methodology that delivers sustainable large scale behavioural and cultural change in organizations, which creates lasting capacity for changeability.
Dr Herrero is also an Executive Fellow at the Centre for the Future of Organization, Drucker School of Management.
An international speaker, Dr Herrero is regularly invited to speak at global conferences and corporate events. To invite Leandro to speak at your conference or business event contact: The Chalfont Project [3] or email: [email protected]. [4]
See here [5] for all workshops and masterclasses developed and delivered by Leandro and his team. Or to discuss any of The Chalfont Project products and services call: +44 01895 549 144.
