nope

I only, sometimes, maybe, mostly do not offer my opinion in meetings.

In the past I have recklessly dove into professional convos offering my views, many times bashing down moments without warrant and care.

Once in a while, a deeper state of collab was achieved by me throttling and shaking the tree other times my thoughtful/less thoughts were graciously discounted as either rogue or dangerous.

Truthfully, I am okay with existing at the fringes- rogue and dangerous are not how I would identify my intention, but at times, getting attention and holding attention can stem from open disagreement with the establishment.

Tactically, I have changed my delivery and pursuit so that I can remain viable and approachable…but I still disagree a lot.

Having and presenting and defending an opinion is one of the most underdeveloped and misunderstood tools in a teacher’s kit. I often find myself in ad hoc convos after a meeting where a colleague, after the fact, agrees with the position I held in the meeting. I ask why they did not engage… some reply:

Why bother? Nothing is going to change.
I do not want to cause conflict.
I have lots of [stuff] to do, no time for this.

To these I often ask:

What part have you played in this conversation before?
What [ideas, evidence, reflections] are you holding back?
How do you hold decision-makers and stakeholders accountable to outcomes?
Who do you trust in this group?
Who do you trust, that should be a part of this group?
Who do you accept professional criticism from?
What have you lost as a result of not jumping in?

Of course, it is also critical to consider:

best time to hold this meeting?
best length of time for the meeting?
best person to chair the meeting?
best environment to hold the meeting?
best method for moving resources before/during /after meeting?
best method to account for deliverables?What is the…

Colleagues rarely say that they are not interested in participation, we know that meetings are a part of our work and that the big picture can make our time in meetings feel diffuse.

I choose to exist on the fringe until I am certain that I have an angle of trajectory and a full enough understanding of the topic so that I can better engage with the table.

I feel that challenging the issues at hand, especially when they seem dogmatic in nature, can feel a little like a free fall. And like a freefall, the thrill can be a bit frightening. Consider that the next time you agree, even slightly, with an opposing view.

Ask yourself: