Working Up

by Dwayne Phillips

One of the better things to do in a thinking meeting is to find things you don’t want to do.

“That’s not it!” is one of the better things you can hear at a thinking meeting.

For example, a few years or decades ago—I lose track—I was standing at the white board with a couple dozen thinkers in the room. We were trying to find a strategy for something that needed strategizing and such. I wrote feverishly on the white board for a few moments, turned to the rest of the thinkers, and asked, “Well, what do you think?”

Nothing but frowns and side-to-side wagging of heads greeted me. A few mumbled “nah.”

I immediately replied, “Great! That’s not it!” as I turned to the board and erased everything.

We had eliminated a major line of thought from consideration and saved ourselves months of wasted effort. It was a triumph—one of the more significant things I had done in a meeting in years.

At such a moment, when suggesting an idea that everyone else hates, don’t be down on yourself. Celebrate with the group. Move forward with enthusiasm to the next idea.

It really is easier than you might think.