Somewhere in the middle of the meeting I got so lost listening to people rattle off checklists, talk about who should be doing what, when, why and how, it felt like a scavenger hunt without knowing what we were searching for.

I was confused. Frankly, I think everyone else was, too. But people just kept talking and nodding along. It was odd, but clearly normal.

I slacked my confidant.

“Does this always happen?”

“Yup.”

“When does the work get done?”

“It doesn’t.”

That’s when the weird feeling started to settle in. You know, the “oh shit, what did I get myself into” feeling. It happens but nobody likes it. I needed it to stop.

So, I just asked.

“John, do I mind if I jump in quickly?”

“Sure, Mat.”

“It sounds like we’re focusing this meeting on a lot of the administrative tasks that have already been assigned. People have been notified, sounds like many times, and we’re just rehashing that here, out loud. Is that a fair assessment?”

John replied, but focused on highlight the offenders, again. Two more people agreed and start naming names. A fourth joined in and added more missed dates, two more names, and then complained that nobody listened to them.

So, I asked again.

“Would you agree that what you just explained is in line with my first question? That people are already assigned to tasks and they’re just not following through?”

John gave me a “Yes, but…” and one other person started clapping.

So, I pivoted.

“Would you be open to hearing a story about a job I wasted 3 years of my time in while I my colleagues got promoted, recognized, and raises?”

Pin drop silence.

I spent the next 10 minutes sharing my story about proactive versus reactive approaches to business and why I fell behind my peers because I was too reactive.

It seemed to work.

Because we spent the remainder of the time planning how we were going to make the shift to a proactive procurement function. We agreed that as soon as we left the meeting we were going to be doing the work, not chasing after it.

Change is not easy. For many it’s much harder than they imagine. It’s so easy to talk about it, but to do it is another thing entirely. We get so caught up in the current state that we can’t see a better future. Even more, the thought of it prevents us from starting. The mind really can play games.

Growth mindset isn’t a buzzword.

It’s a way of life.

See you next week,

Mat

ps. Carol Dweck wrote this book if you’re interested: Mindset.