The other day I attended a meeting and I felt downright sorry for the facilitator.
There were more participants than expected, as many folks failed to RSVP. Can’t complain too much about that though, as participation is key to making things happen. The participants didn’t really stick to the agenda. Feelings were expressed, and not just good ones. At some point, as people were off on a tangent about something needing to be fixed (something that isn’t broken in the first place), I realized I could tune out for a moment, but the facilitator had to stay alert. She had to pay attention to everyone and everything, all while trying to get through the business at hand. In short, she had to herd the cats.
God bless the people who are willing to take on such tasks, as folks like me certainly aren’t. I want no part of running the show. I just want a seat at the table. I’ll offer up an opinion or idea when asked. I’ll come to the meetings. But sit at the head of the table? No, thank you.
In the end, the cats were sort of, kind of herded and I’d say a bit of progress was made. A few things were said that didn’t sit well with me personally, but I’m not childish enough to hold one person’s limitations against the whole danged bunch. So I’ll go to the next meeting, too, assuming I’m asked. And I’ll support the cat herder in chief. She’s a good egg. And the world needs all the good eggs it can get.