#355 knotted

I was at a meeting last week where eight of us attempted to sort out the intricacies of a very interdependent process.  Everyone had experienced some frustration with how things were (weren't) working, but there isn't one "owner" who has the authority to make changes. So we decided to convene and see if we could agree by consensus what the desired changes would be.

We couldn't.  At least not yet.

What did happen was that we all gained considerable understanding on the complexity of the issues.  We had front line staff, middle managers and senior staff -- all with knowledge about varying levels of the process.  We had people who used to work directly in the area, one who currently does and someone will be assuming responsibilities for the position -- all also bringing different perspectives that added to our insight.  We realized that even though eight of us were there, there was one major area missing and they needed to be included in the conversation.

I shared with the group a visual of a tangled mess of fishing line and lures.  It was an accurate representation of where we stand now.  If we had the impression that the problem was equivalent to a kink in just one line, we would respond to it in a very different fashion than knowing it is part of a bigger knot. By having everyone at the meeting and able to hear the competing interests that are at play, it became apparent that we need to pull each aspect of this apart carefully until we get to the root of the issue. 

If you jump in and start pulling on the first problem that arises, you may make the rest of the knot tighter.  Always start with understanding before action.

-- beth triplett
leadershipdots.blogspot.com
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