I attend a meeting with no agenda and no venue (so I am late).
“What is this meeting for? What is the desired output?” I ask. The facilitator fumbles through an answer. I ask questions that go unanswered. I comment on the absence of key decision makers from two functional areas. He’s been trying to set up a meeting for 3 weeks without success.
Instead of listening, he attacks. He makes blanket statements. “You won’t even look at this document and because of it, you’ll prevent us from moving forward.”
To which I reply with a smile, “We are here to support the business. Please present us with facts and options analysis on the back of a Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) model for us to have a thorough discussion. He doesn’t hear me because he’s not here to listen. He’s here to pummel a decision through. No benchmark has been done aside from simple diagrams.
The dangers of working in silos and not listening to understand.
If he can’t even get key stakeholders in one room, how is he equipped to facilitate difficult discussions that require sensible answers to tough questions?
The power of facilitation is often underestimated. Who are you putting to task?
Is it the right person to represent your brand?