During a recent ToP Facilitation Methods training, a group conducted a Consensus Workshop around the question:

“What are keys to effective delegation?”

One of the strongest themes that emerged was trust. Not just trusting others, but also developing the ability to trust ourselves enough to let go. Delegation, we realized, is less about the task itself and more about cultivating the trust needed to allow someone else to carry the responsibility.

Trust as the Foundation

Trust is not a checklist—it’s an emotion, a philosophy, a feeling we must be comfortable with in order to move forward. When we delegate, the work still reflects on us, so naturally we want it done well. That requires building confidence in ourselves and in the people we choose to delegate to.

But here’s the catch: to delegate effectively, we must manage our own ego. Many of us carry guilt around the idea that “if I’m paid, I should do it all myself.” But leadership is not about doing everything with our own two hands—it’s about growing capacity. Sometimes that growth comes through technology or training. More often, it comes through people.

The Ego Trap of “I’ll Just Do It Myself”

As leaders, entrepreneurs, or nonprofit changemakers, we often think, “It will be faster if I just do it myself.” While that may be true in the moment, it limits our impact in the long run. Every time we hold onto a task, we lose an opportunity to multiply our capacity.

The real challenge is that many tasks we want to delegate are things we do on autopilot. It feels overwhelming to explain them, so we retreat to old habits. But if we invest a little more time upfront—in clarity, communication, and support—the return is far greater.

Using the Focused Conversation to Delegate

This is where a facilitative leadership tool—the Focused Conversation (ORID method)—comes in handy. Before delegating, I often ask myself:

1. Objective: What exactly is the outcome I need?

2. Reflective: What do I remember about doing this task myself? Where did I feel challenged or supported?

3. Interpretive: What would it mean to bring someone else in? What skills and tools would they need?

4. Decisional: Who is best positioned to do this work, and how will we set timelines and check-ins?

When I communicate with the person I’m delegating to, I use the same structure to create clarity and ownership. Together we talk about:

• What stands out to them in the assignment.

• Where they feel confident.

• Where they need support, training, or tools.

• When and how we’ll check in.

• How we’ll handle conflict if it arises.

This conversation does more than transfer tasks—it builds shared understanding. And shared understanding is the root of trust.

Adding Self-Awareness with Lumina

Self-awareness plays a critical role in delegation. My Lumina Spark profile tells me I like to express myself in writing and sometimes struggle with verbal clarity. Knowing this helps me adapt my communication style depending on who I’m working with.

If I’m delegating to someone who thrives on verbal brainstorming, I adjust. If they prefer structure, I offer written steps. Lumina reminds us that trust grows when we communicate in ways that meet others where they are—not just where we are comfortable.

Building Capacity Through Delegation

Delegation isn’t about letting go of responsibility—it’s about sharing it wisely. You remain accountable for the outcome, but you free up your time and energy to focus on the work that only you can do.

When you prepare upfront—clarifying outcomes, anticipating support needs, setting check-ins, and creating an open door for communication—you build the trust necessary for effective delegation.

Just like “an apple a day keeps the doctor away,” a little preparation keeps frustration away.

Friends, I’m Charity Adams.
At Facilitate Co, I help people work better, lead smarter, and grow stronger. If you’d like to learn more about facilitative leadership, how to host a Consensus Workshop, or how Lumina self-awareness can open the door to stronger communication and trust, reach out. You can even start with a free Lumina taster profile to discover more about your own strengths.

Over the years, I’ve learned a powerful truth: when you address the underlying causes, bad behaviors in meetings diminish—or even evaporate entirely.

It’s easy to label someone as “difficult” when they’re interrupting, disengaging, or rambling. Yet, in my experience, people are fantastic and often have no idea when stress or deep passion leads them into these “bad behaviors.” They also naturally connect ideas, which can lead to tangents and stories that aren’t necessarily relevant. And let’s not forget the “elephants in the room”—those unspoken feelings or tensions that can cause people to say and do things they might regret, much like a heated family dinner.

I’ve been there myself, getting so caught up in a story that I’ve lost my way. A skilled facilitator can gently but firmly bring you back. I also recall a meeting where a major “elephant” hung heavy in the air, creating palpable hostility. By simply calling it out and allowing everyone to process it, the tension melted. People discovered they had more in common than they thought, and the meeting became incredibly successful. These experiences highlight why we need to look beyond the surface and understand the root causes.

The Root Causes of Meeting Mayhem

Lack of Self-Awareness (Participant & Facilitator)

Every person in a meeting brings their own unique set of triggers and comfort zones. As a facilitator, it’s crucial to understand what pushes your buttons and what overextends your personality. Why? Because when you’re reacting to disruptive behaviors instead of thoughtfully responding, you’re less effective.

Think about it: When you react, you’re often focused on the content, perhaps defending a point or celebrating it. You’re likely not truly listening, just waiting for your turn to speak. When you respond, you pause, ask more questions, and take the time to formulate replies that genuinely move the meeting forward. In the heat of the moment, people are often just waiting for someone to take a breath to get their next word in. Good facilitation slows down this process, giving everyone time to reflect before they answer. Similarly, participants might unknowingly exhibit “bad behaviors” when they’re pushed past their own limits.

People Don’t Feel Heard

Whether it manifests as someone completely disengaging (checking devices, side conversations) or someone dominating the conversation, a common thread is the feeling of not being heard. People often have a point they desperately want to make, and they will try to make it—either through withdrawal (abstention) or through excessive vocalization. If people are on their devices, it’s a strong signal the meeting isn’t designed to be truly participatory.

To ensure people feel heard:

• Make eye contact and use open body language.

• Repeat the last three words a participant said to show you’re actively listening.

• Thank someone for their participation, not just for the answer they provided. This validates their contribution regardless of the content.

• Use round robins for warm-up questions or icebreakers to get everyone comfortable talking and listening from the start.

Fear of Emotions

Let’s face it, emotions can be messy, especially in a professional setting. Both facilitators and participants can be scared of emotions, which can lead to suppression, passive-aggression, or explosive outbursts when feelings finally erupt. Creating a safe space for emotions (within professional boundaries) is critical for authentic engagement. My experience with “the elephant in the room” showed me the incredible power of acknowledging these unspoken feelings; it diminished hostility and fostered connection.

Poor Meeting Preparation & Lack of Clear Purpose

This is a big one. Bad behaviors frequently pop up when a meeting isn’t designed for a clear purpose. Defining the Rational Aim or objective of your meeting is paramount. It acts as a lifeline for the facilitator to gently guide conversations back on track. When someone veers off-topic, you have the perfect response: “That’s a great point, let’s make a note of it and dive in after we’ve addressed our current topic.”

Consider the difference:

• Instead of: “We are here to talk about the situation we had yesterday.”

• Try: “We are here to determine what happened yesterday and what we can learn from it.”

• Instead of: “We are here to talk about the upcoming event.”

• Try: “We are here to define the objectives of next week’s event.”

• Instead of: “We are here to talk about the project.”

• Try: “We are here to determine the key objectives of the project.”

Sometimes, determining the focus of a meeting might seem arbitrary, especially for teams that work closely together. However, facilitators and participants who don’t zero in on a clear purpose leave the door open for purpose creep. When the purpose isn’t well-defined, conversations can scatter in multiple directions, leaving everyone confused, frustrated, and stressed. And as we learned, when people are overextended, they can easily lean into the less-than-ideal versions of themselves, leading to “bad behaviors.”

The Solution: Solid Facilitation Techniques

The good news is that the vast majority—easily 80% to 90%—of “bad behaviors” can be alleviated using solid facilitation techniques for meeting development and management. People won’t engage in processes not made for their engagement. If your meeting isn’t designed to be participatory, with activities lasting 15-20 minutes that keep brains active, people will distract themselves. This is why facilitation techniques are so crucial—they keep people talking, thinking, and actively involved, which also minimizes side conversations.

Here’s how:

• Utilize Proven Methods: Frameworks like the ToP Focused Conversation Method or the Consensus Workshop Method provide structure and guardrails, keeping participants focused on the task at hand. These methods often incorporate “task bursts” and structured movement from individual reflection to small group discussion to large group synthesis. This gives both the quietest and the most vocal participants ample opportunity to contribute, all while staying focused on the immediate instruction.

• Define Your Rational Aim: Before any meeting, work with your team to clearly define the meeting’s objective. What do you hope to achieve by the end? This shared understanding creates a powerful anchor for the discussion.

• Agree on a Method: Don’t just define the “what,” define the “how.” By agreeing on a framework to manage the meeting (whether it’s a Focused Conversation, a Consensus Workshop, or another method), everyone knows what to expect and how to participate effectively.

Remember, people are not bad behaviors. Situations create opportunities for human beings to become overextended and lean into those overextended versions of themselves. By proactively addressing the root causes and implementing robust facilitation practices, you can transform your meetings from dreaded obligations into dynamic, productive collaborations.

Ready to transform your meetings from chaos to clarity? Explore the power of skilled facilitation and discover how you can foster environments where everyone thrives.

But if you ask the people on the receiving end of change what they find most challenging? You’ll hear something else.

Recently, Lumina Learning asked 171 working professionals this very question. One insight stood out loud and clear:

Communication clarity can make or break your change strategy.

I couldn’t agree more.

But here’s the nuance: it’s not just what you say. It’s how it lands.

I see this dynamic play out all the time in teams. A leader might feel confident they’ve communicated the plan. Yet their team is still confused, hesitant, or even resistant.

Why?

Because:

• Some people want detailed facts and timelines.
• Others are looking for the big-picture “why.”
• Some need quiet time to reflect and process.
• Others want clarity on everything—now.

If communication styles aren’t honored, it opens the door to misalignment, mistrust, and stalled momentum.

But when people feel seen, heard, and informed, something shifts.

They’re no longer on the outside of change—they’re part of it.

That’s where facilitation comes in.  Whether you facilitate or hirer a facilitator you need to be sure:

You are inviting people to the conversation who will identify the change as well as those who will be asked to implement.  Both voices are important to the plans created.

When you facilitate, make room for all the communication styles in the room.  This seems like a big ask but there are facilitation courses like ToP Facilitation Methods where you can learn how to make sure all voices have the opportunity to participate.

Develop self-awareness of your communication style and help others become aware of their own.  Imagine being aware of yours and other people’s communication styles.  This knowledge will give you and those you are inviting to the change initiative the opportunity to adapt.

So, the next time your team is gearing up for a change initiative, pause and ask:

• How am I making room for different communication styles?
• Who might need more information—or more time?
• What might help this message land better across the board?

Because successful change doesn’t happen when people are simply told what’s happening.

It happens when they’re invited in.

Get a free personality assessment to open the door to communication styles.

Communication is a marvel of human interaction. We can convey messages with lightning speed, yet often fall short of truly connecting. In the realm of professional networks, where success hinges on collaboration, this discrepancy becomes even more apparent.

Recently, I had the privilege of orchestrating an event aimed at honoring a decade of achievement for a group thriving on collaborative efforts. Despite their collective success, many partners had never engaged directly with one another. It was evident: reaching out wasn’t enough; genuine connection was lacking.

The task at hand was clear: craft a session that not only celebrated past accomplishments but also fostered meaningful dialogue and charted a course for the future. Enter facilitation—a process designed to guide groups towards shared goals while nurturing relationships along the way.

We embarked on a journey through time, revisiting the landscape of a decade past. Participants grounded themselves in the context of their work, professionally and personally. This historical reflection served as a foundation for understanding the present and envisioning the future.

Using a prototyping approach, we visually mapped the current landscape of collaboration. Connections began to crystallize as participants recognized the ingredients of their collective success. But it wasn’t just about the present; it was about charting a course forward.

Enter the WAVE metaphor—a tool to navigate organizational change and future trajectories. With clarity on where they stood, where they aimed to go, and how to get there, participants left equipped with a renewed sense of purpose and direction.

Facilitation isn’t just about achieving meeting objectives; it’s about cultivating relationships and fostering meaningful conversations. By setting the tone, providing context, and guiding processes, facilitators create spaces where genuine dialogue thrives.

The impact was palpable. New opportunities emerged, unforeseen challenges found solutions, but above all, a network of individuals discovered they were not alone. They found solidarity in shared struggles, optimism in shared opportunities, and reassurance in shared commitment.

Armed with newfound connections, participants left with more than just action plans—they left with a support system. A network of peers to lean on, to collaborate with, and to navigate the complexities of their work together.

In the end, facilitation isn’t just about achieving meeting aims; it’s about nurturing experiences that fuel organizational growth. It’s about empowering individuals to realize the full potential of their networks and harnessing the collective power of collaboration.

As we bid farewell to yet another successful session, we’re reminded of the transformative power of meaningful dialogue and the enduring value of genuine connections. After all, in a world buzzing with communication, it’s the quality of our connections that truly matters.

Here’s to unlocking new horizons through the art of facilitation. Let’s continue building bridges, forging connections, and shaping a future where collaboration knows no bounds.

What caught my attention and had me asking Google to “take note,” was Don’s response to the question what makes a great leader? Don said great leaders ask great questions. Not the first time I have heard this response.

Great leaders spend most of their time listening. But great leaders are busy. They need to be efficient with their time. To be efficient leaders create conversations by using great questions asked in the a particular order.

In my own experience asking questions in right order helps an individual or a group move from confusion to clarity. It is both an an art and a science to facilitate these conversations with intention and purpose. I have been a participant and a facilitator for these types of conversations.

As a participant in these conversations I found the conversations to be a bit like cooking. You find out what the ingredients are, you see what you have available, you make adjusts as needed, you cook and you have a pretty good outcome.

If you follow the recipe in a different order you spend a lot of time running back and forth to the pantry, you question if you have the right recipe, are people even interested in eating what I’m making and so forth. Your frustration increases because you did not follow the process and your outcome tastes like dirt.

Conversational questions follow a process too. When you ask the right questions in the right order you can get to the desired outcome. When you don’t you’re likely going to have the conversation again or quit all together.

Technology of Participation (ToP) Facilitation Methods has a method that uses a process to write and conduct questions that get people talking so that a leader can listen. You can find out more about these methods by participating in a course offered by my training team at Great Plains Facilitators or register for one of the classes I have on my course calendar.

1. Missed opportunities: Board members who lack interest or engagement may miss out on important information or opportunities that could benefit the organization. For example, they may not be aware of new technologies or trends that could improve the organization’s operations or fundraising efforts.
2. Poor decision-making: Board members who are not engaged may not fully understand the organization’s goals or the implications of their decisions. This can lead to poor decision-making, which can harm the organization’s reputation or financial health.
3. Lack of accountability: Board members who are not engaged may not feel accountable for their actions or decisions. This can create a culture of complacency or apathy, where board members are not held responsible for their roles in the organization’s success or failure.
4. Demotivation of other board members and staff: A lack of interest or engagement from one or more board members can demotivate others on the board or staff. It can create a sense that their efforts are not valued or appreciated, which can lead to decreased morale and productivity.

 It is not all doom and gloom, my friends. My big fat mistake can be your greatest triumph by implementing the following tactics: 

1. Set Clear Expectations: Organizations should establish clear expectations for board members, including attendance at meetings, committee work, and fundraising efforts. They should also communicate the organization’s mission and goals, so that board members understand the impact of their work.
2. Train Your Board Members: Organizations should provide training and support to board members so that they understand their roles and responsibilities. This can include training on fundraising, governance, and strategic planning.
3. Communication Extensively: Organizations should communicate regularly with board members, providing updates on the organization’s activities and challenges. This can help to keep board members engaged and invested in the organization’s success.
4. Co-Create Accountability: Organizations should hold board members accountable for their actions and decisions. This can include regular evaluations, setting clear goals and objectives, and recognizing and rewarding board members who demonstrate exceptional commitment and engagement.

In conclusion, if you don’t set your boards up for success, they will build a lack of interest or engagement which will manifest into serious consequences for your organization. To ensure the success of the organization, it is important for all board members to be engaged and committed to their roles. Organizations can ensure that their boards are effective and impactful by setting clear expectations, providing training and support, communicating regularly, and holding board members accountable. What conversations does your board need to have to establish clear expectations, training opportunities, effective communication, and accountability? What would clear expectations, training opportunities, effective communication, and accountability feel like in your organization? What would it mean to your board and your organization to have clear expectations, training, effective communication, and accountability? What are you going to do to make sure your board is prepared to govern your organization? If you don’t know, reach out let’s talk. You can take steps to get your board ready to be the best one for their benefit and your organization.

Community listening sessions are opportunities to get constructive feedback from your community in a process that provides solid data to inform your planning process, builds community relationships, and generates momentum for your work.  Community is defined as people or groups who are affected by your plans.  Listening sessions are conducted in a variety of ways like world cafes, consensus workshops, carousel walks, and empathy interviews.

Data:  Your planning process has questions.  Your community members have the answers.  You may have assumptions about what your community needs. Instead of assuming, ask. Focusing your planning on the issues that your community is actually experiencing saves time and valuable resources, and builds a foundation for community involvement.

Relationship:  Bringing community member together to talk about shared experiences is a community builder.  Think of any relationship you have ever grown.  That relationship started with a conversation.  

An article from Forbes tells us, Strong communities have a significant sense of purpose. People’s roles have meaning in the bigger picture of the community and each member of the group understands how their work connects to others’ and adds value to the whole. As members of community, people don’t just want to lay bricks, they want to build a cathedral.  

Momentum:  We may not want to make plans for cathedrals, but we may want to improve our community members’ lives or the areas they live in.  The size of the product isn’t as important as the momentum you build when you start conversations that build relationships.  Get people talking, and you are building influence, resources, and an extended group of people to call on to carry out your plans.

Who should be at the listening sessions

Ask yourself these questions to start building your target audience and invitation list?

• Who might be directly affected by the plan outcomes?
• Who might be doing the day to day work?
• Who might be called on to do specific parts of the plan?
• Who are leaders who need to be committed to plan outcomes?
• Who might be aware of the plan and its outcomes that could help pave the way for action?
• Who are people you might not think of initially but what if they new about this work?  What might they do for the plan?

Marketing and Communication

Marketing the sessions adds another layer of momentum when the plan moves to action.  Listening sessions can be marketed with:

• Poster
• Facebook Events and invites
• Social Media posts
• Church bulletins
• Community newsletters
• Community websites
• Email lists
• Radio talk shows
• Newspaper features

Marketing community listening sessions are an avenue to add a level of awareness to your planning process. Be sure to follow up with a communications plan.  People who participate in community listening sessions want to know where their input went.  Where are they showing up in the plan?  What happened after the session?  Be prepared to host a launch event after your plan is built and a solid communication plan to keep the momentum going.

Preparing for the event.

Most community listening sessions should be in a comfortable and accessible location.  You are looking for a location where anyone would feel welcome.  You also need space for people to move around.  Listening sessions are interactive workshops that require movement.  Typically you will need a space with lots of wall space and maybe even some audio visual equipment.  

Facilitator

You want a facilitator that can manage the space and the meeting itself.  You want to prepare your facilitator by giving them the logistics of the event and the number attending.  It’s important that listening sessions are conducted in a manner that allows for everyone to bring their voice into the room, is organized to gather data, and is a space that invites great conversations.

In Closing

Build listening sessions into your planning process.  You will have data to inform your plans.  You will build community.  You will build a network of people who can talk about your plan.  You will build momentum for your work.

One of my mechanisms to cope with low self-worth is learning.  I spent some time thinking and reading about self-worth’s connection to getting lost in learning.  I thought I’d share just in case you use the same mechanism to cope with feelings of self-worth or in case you are working with someone who might exhibit low self-worth traits.

 Do you have a very curious mind?  Do you want to know what makes something tick?  Why did someone do what they did?  How were the results achieved?  What is the methodology?  What’s behind the data?  Killing the desire to learn is not the goal of killing a sense of low self-worth.  Using the desire to learn to soothe feelings of low self-worth is something to consider. 

When you believe your self-worth is diminished.  Do you become petrified to do the thing?  Do you worry about crawling out of the box and take chances?  Are you fearful of doing what you know?  Are you brave enough to acknowledge that growth is in the doing?  To calm the fear people use coping mechanisms.  One mechanism is diving into learning to compensate for a feeling of low self-worth.  Some tell themselves if I just read more books, watch more videos, take more classes, and participate in more workshops I’ll know it. If you know more won’t you be better when it comes to doing?

The learning you dive into to grow your self-worth is likely not fluffy stuff.  Learning is likely a pretty deep dive.  Nevertheless, it expands your knowledge but not necessarily your self-worth. You might get a temporary assurance that you’re good because you know so much more, however, it can be fleeting. 

To build self-worth consider skill development.   Taking what you learn, being bold, and putting learning into practice.  Take the practice into review.  One of the most powerful methods instituted for skill building and thoughtful feedback is peer review.  Putting your work out there with an avenue for honest feedback from mentors and clients.  Doing a deep dive into honest self-reflection.  Honestly intentionally reflecting on your own work by acknowledging the good as well as what needs to be reevaluated.  Doing, reflecting, and doing again builds confidence.  Confidence is a killer of low self-worth. 

Keys to building confidence:

1.  Being Assertive – putting yourself in situations to apply what you have learned even when it makes you nervous

2. Developing a peer group – people who can offer honest feedback

3. Acknowledging your own skill – being your own champion.  “Damn, that wasn’t half bad!!!”

4. Challenge yourself – Am I learning because I want to know or I’m I scared to death that I don’t think I can do! 

Ask yourself:

• Where do you see yourself compensating for your feelings of low self-worth?
• Why might that be?
• What other things might you try to build your feeling of self-worth?
• What steps might will you take to move from feeling a sense of low self-worth to confidence?

I love the opportunity to go and meet with people. Today’s meeting destination was Falls City, Nebraska.  I wasn’t very familiar with Southeast Nebraska, so I was pretty excited to explore a new area of the state and pretty excited to stay at another historic hotel. The Grand Weaver hotel did not disappoint.  I walked through the boutique hotel doors and was instantly grateful that someone invested in renovating and preserving a piece of history.  This establishment, built-in 1924, was once a hub for commodities trading.  My 4th-floor hotel room, with its original doors and original phone took me back to another place and time. You could almost feel the history. 

When I’m out and about I inevitably find myself in a conversation with a community innovator about economic development possibilities.  These conversations turn into robust idea generators for them and for me.  A give and take of what worked and what failed.  I used to try to find the recipe for the secret sauce these people use to make a project work in a community.  What I find is there is no secret sauce that works for any one community.  There are nuggets of knowledge you can collect and share.  However, there isn’t any true duplicatable blueprint that works without truly invested people.  These incredibly brilliant, thoughtful, and giving individuals risk failure to create new businesses, put their money where their heart is without fear of making a financial return, give their time and talents to maintain the places they hold dear.

I ran into one of these game-changer, idea factory, innovators.  As it always happens, I found myself listening to a deep conversation about, “what could be, if only.”  Although I really enjoy getting financially compensated for the strategic facilitation work, I do with groups, it is incredibly fun to listen to someone spilling their ideas and then actually coaxing them into writing them down and organizing them into a practical vision.  I really enjoy the “aha moment,” when they see all their ideas pulled together and wrangled into something they can clearly explain and share with a larger group of innovators.  So last night while the wind howled and the temperatures dropped, I didn’t make a nickel.  Instead, I shared my pizza, watched an aha moment, and showed someone a method for pulling ideas together into a clear practical vision.  How much fun will it be to see what the game-changer does with their new vision?

I had a purpose in Falls City which I look forward to sharing with you soon.

In the meantime.  

What is your next great idea?  

Write it down.  

Write down every detail about your imagined finished product?

• What does the finished product look like in 3 -5 years?
• Who are the people involved in your finished product?
• Where does it happen?
• What do you need to make it happen?

…….. Just keep thinking about all the tiny details of your dream.  Once you have those details, pair, and cluster those details. Write themes that describe your clusters.  The cluster themes become your practical vision, your north star, a vision to aim for.  If you are interested in learning how to do practical visioning along with the other pieces of the strategic planning puzzle reach out.  I really enjoy helping people connect to training or facilitating the strategic planning process.

…. If you are ever in Falls City book a room at the Grand Weaver and have a pizza and a great conversation in the Den.

If you know anything about old farmsteads you know that they are typically dotted with a lot of tiny buildings.  Chicken coops, little shops, feed storage, garages etc.  As farms grow the size of the equipment grows so the little buildings are torn down to make way for larger buildings.  

My farm was purchased about 50 years ago.  The farmstead itself was established in the late 1800s.  It was covered with tiny sheds.  These sheds were pushed over, piled together, and likely burned at one time, the remnants buried.  When it rains the nails, staples, and heavy debris rise to the top and slide down into the washed-out areas of the driveway.  In exchange, we are constantly patching flat tires.

As I walked the yard thinking about those nails, I started thinking about those things we do in our own work.  Those things we just do because we always do it this way, those things we put off, those things that if we moved them we would alleviate a problem or issue, or those things we just may not be aware of. Instead, we continue to do, ignore, and stay unaware.  

One of my favorite parts of planning or working with groups is leading them through conversations that identify the complacent, the hidden, and ignored issues.  I love helping my groups identify and find solutions around the “nails” in their driveways.

In your group:

• What things are you do because you have always just done them this way?
• What conversations do you need to have with your group to learn about the issues you don’t know about?
• What is your group ignoring that needs to be addressed to move forward?
• Where are the nails in your group? 

Having these discussions with your group on a regular basis is a good way to avoid the nails, improve productivity, and avoid those major blow-ups that occur when we take the time to review our work.