Healthy Franchise Relations Tip #43 – The Invisible Factor

Here’s a tip from Greg that is well worth sharing.  Being present and fully engaged in every moment is a lifelong practice.  Certainly for me, I can get so focused on the checklist, getting things done and meeting objectives, that sometimes I forget to fully ‘be’ with what is occurring in this moment. Check out Healthy Franchise Relations Tip #43 for another great insight from Greg…

Tip #43 The Invisible Facilitator

It must have been thirty years ago that I read the following saying. It has stuck with me as one of those basic truths:

“There are three types of people in the world. Those who make things happen, those who watch things happen, and those who wonder what happened.”

While the message here is “don’t just sit there, do something” I am not advocating we all do more. In fact many of us would be happier and more productive if we sat quietly more often and reflected on who we are, rather than what we have done. A sort of “don’t just do something, sit there!” As a friend once pointed out, we are human beings, not human doings.

Our mental state of being probably has more impact on the quality of what happens in our lives than any other factor.

Try observing what is going on around you and how you are impacting on others, rather than behaving like the proverbial bull in a china shop. Listen carefully to what people are saying rather than projecting what you want to hear and missing their point. Practise being fully engaged in what you are doing, whatever this is – sitting in a meeting, checking a spreadsheet, making a sandwich or writing a report.

There is a pay-off for this because it is amazing how enjoyable almost anything can be when you really put your mind into it. It is also the only path I know to excellence. Look at a master of anything and you’ll see they do more with their mind than their hands.

Doing less and being more

I was once at a facilitator’s conference where 180 people were asked to work in small groups and come up with a definition of what a good facilitator does. As each group shared its findings the usual boring answers emerged such as “improves communication” or “helps groups to achieve their goals”.

But one guy in the room absolutely nailed it without saying a word. It was pure genius. He walked purposefully across the room and onto the stage. He then eased himself down behind the stage and just lay there on the floor quietly where no-one could see him. Of course the rest of us were thinking “What the?” After a minute or so he stood up, climbed back onto the stage and with a smile simply said “I was invisible!”

There was an initial stunned silence. Then the laughter spread across the room. It was a perfect explanation of what excellent facilitators do. They ensure the group does most of the work and they only intervene when they absolutely need to. Facilitation is a great example of making things happen by being rather than doing. So is good coaching, good leadership, good friendship and good parenting. 

Until next time,

Greg Nathan
Founder
Franchise Relationships Institute 

Interested in having Greg come in and work directly with your team? Check here for his North American availability in October 2014.

More soon…

Katrina