Finally! I can have an opinion! Now that we’ve completed the imperative workshop I can say, “As we agreed ….” Before the imperative workshop, I had to say, “I think…” No one would value what I think as a newbie, but they do value what the team agreed to.
I think we got the workshop composition right. Had my three direct reports, one person from each agency (advertising and PR), a representative from sales (but not the head of sales), a representative from product development (but not the head), and someone from HR facilitating.
I didn’t want to facilitate myself so I could focus on people and content.
Didn’t want the heads of sales or product development because I didn’t want them to think they got a vote. Wanted input, not direction.
Eight people seemed like a good number. Someone once told me the perfect meeting size is seven people plus or minus two.
No surprise, we’re going to strive to be the market leader in our categories and invest to get there. It’s our time!
Reflections
The imperative workshop is one of the pivotal points of The New Leader’s 100-Day Action Plan. This is the moment where I switch from listening to leading. Before if I had an opinion it was “my” opinion. Now I can say “This fits with what we agreed at our workshop.” Probably never a good thing for the new leader to push his or her own agenda. Definitely a good thing for a leader to push the team’s agenda.
The New Leader’s Journal is a fictional exercise illustrating the prescriptions and tools in the 3rd edition of The New Leader’s 100-Day Action Plan. Click here to request an executive summary of the book. Click here to pre-order/order a copy.
John Hall
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