Domino

19Don't Forget the Waitlist!

If you have gotten this far in the book and you still don't understand why the waitlist is probably the most important part of this whole process, then I have failed you. I am afraid we might have to break up, because there's just no future between us. It's not you, it's me.

Through the waitlist—and only through the waitlist—is where this whole process goes from change by addition to change by decision. I opted to make this little section its own chapter so that every time you come back to the table of contents to reference another part of the book, you might catch a glimpse of this chapter heading and be reminded “don't forget the [insert favorite expletive] waitlist!”

The strategic planning team of a regional insurance company explained to me that the waitlist is essential for combatting what they called the “Minnesota nice filter.” What they meant is that far too often the leadership team will go into a meeting and identify the key priorities. Then everyone nods their heads eagerly, basks for a moment in the harmony that only consensus can create, and then goes back to working on all the stuff they were working on before. Never mind that those other things weren't listed as a priority.

Based on my experience, this isn't just a Minnesota problem, or a Midwest problem, it is a West Coast problem, an East Coast problem, a fried chicken and sweet tea Deep South problem, a European Union problem, an African problem, a Brazilian problem, an Asian problem, ...