Leading With Emotional Courage

CHAPTER 26KNOW WHERE YOU'RE GOING: DEFINE YOUR BIG ARROW

I was facilitating the two-day executive offsite of a mid-sized technology company. The goal of the meeting was to solve major issues and identify potential opportunities that would guide their efforts, as a company, for the next year.

We were halfway through the first day and, while everything was going according to plan, I couldn't shake this nagging feeling that something wasn't right. I struggled to put my finger on it.

I took in the scene. The CEO and all his direct reports were sitting around the board room table and everyone was engaged. People were being respectful, listening to each other without interrupting, asking clarifying questions, and moving efficiently from one presentation to the next. Everyone seemed satisfied; the presentations and conversations were useful and clear.

Because everyone seemed satisfied, I was hesitant to intervene. Still, something felt off. I walked around the room to try to get different perspectives, to see the meeting through the eyes of each person. Finally, when I got to the CEO, and imagined the meeting from his vantage point, it clicked.

Taken one by one, each presentation was tight, well thought out, and deftly delivered. But if you took a bird's eye view, you'd see utter chaos.

Each person, representing a different part of the company, had his or her own priorities, concerns, agenda, and goals that weren't aligned with – or in some cases were directly opposed to – the next ...