It was a type of conferences — the type the place you’re feeling the strain tighten like a rubber band. I used to be in Santiago, Chile, main a quarterly planning session for my staff at Mork Inc. We had been knee-deep in discussing goals and key outcomes — OKRs — a framework I deeply believed in. However not everybody felt the identical.
One after the other, staff members pushed again. Exhausting. They questioned the relevance, the match, the cultural implications. I listened as criticisms got here quicker, louder, sharper. Earlier than I knew it, 4 or 5 voices had been coming at me directly, difficult not simply the device, however implicitly, my management.
After which I felt it: my jaw tightening, coronary heart racing, breath shortening. I used to be getting indignant.
I wished to fucking hearth…..everybody
That wasn’t new. What was new was what I did subsequent.
As a substitute of lashing out — as I might need previously — I stood up, calmly raised my palms like a visitors cop, and mentioned, “I’m feeling attacked. I’m getting defensive. This dialog is turning into unproductive, and I must step exterior.”
The room froze. Then, silence. Shock. But in addition respect.
That 10-minute stroll exterior wasn’t only a breather — it was a turning level. For me, and for my staff. We resumed the dialog later with extra empathy…
