This week, we’ll begin practicing a new habit: Record Tensions for Governance.
This means that sometimes during the course of your day-to-day work, you need to document an issue or proposal to bring to a Governance meeting. This also means that, going forward, you no longer need to stay focused on your habit of "Name the Role that feels the Tension." That habit is obviously important, but it shouldn't be your focus.
So, here are some questions to ask yourself for the next two weeks:
- Is there something that you'd like to expect from a role on an ongoing basis (that is not already captured in Governance)? Do you have any tactical meeting outputs recorded as "Individual Initiative"? Would adding a purpose to one of your roles make it easier to get things done? Is someone else already doing something on an ongoing basis that isn't already captured?
If you said "yes," to any of these questions, then bring the issue to a Governance meeting. That is an opportunity to capture that clarity, so you don't have to try to figure it out over and over and over and over and over and over again.
Now, the trick to this habit is to do it the moment that you become conscious of it. Write yourself an email, scribble it down in your calendar book, or better yet, use the + symbol in the GlassFrog toolbar (next to "Inbox") so you can add it directly to the Governance agenda at the next meeting.
Why is this important?
Because most organizations have Governance meetings once a month and you don't want to burden your memory.
Will you write it in your calendar? Send yourself an email? Add it to your phone’s notepad? Any of these will work.
The key is to pick a place now. Pick a place you can easily access both during your regular day and during the Governance meeting. That's all there is to it.
Video: Working ON the Team For more on Governance meetings, check out this video explanation of the process.
We repeat what we don’t repair. —Christine Lang