BUSINESS INSIGHTS
sure people feel heard and understood , and no-one is sitting on a problem they will reveal later .
Finally , if you do encounter a genuine stumbling block , don ’ t assume you have to tackle it there and then . Be prepared to shelve a difficult issue if it will allow you to make progress on other fronts . Once you have advanced a project past a certain point , your problem may solve itself , or it may help to bring in an independent third-party to act as arbitrator . The one thing you shouldn ’ t do
is get stuck on a single issue and allow it to undermine the project as a whole . I wish I had known this earlier in my career . As I tell my mentees , the learnings I share are often based on what I should have done rather than what I actually did .
These straightforward techniques are more important than ever when we work in a way that promotes distance and which can inadvertently embed divisions . If you want consensus , then you need to work hard to plan for it , encourage it and carry it through to the finish line .
If we diverted just a little of the energy committed to thinking about where people should work and invested in it facilitating how they work with one another , I believe everyone would benefit – whether at home , in the office or somewhere in between . But this doesn ’ t happen by accident . You have to plan for it , invest time in it and make it a priority . If you are managing the project , co-ordinating the people and putting a high value on everyone ’ s time , you will be amazed how many problems start to look after themselves . x
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