My friend Susan, an experienced facilitator, was hired to lead the ropes course. After the event, she called me, uncertain about its success. She explained that the CEO had been micromanaging the team’s every move until, frustrated, she instructed him to remain silent for the rest of the day. Initially, he seemed rattled, as if he might walk away, but he stayed and completed the exercise without speaking. The following day, I met privately with the CEO to debrief. He admitted that Susan’s directive to stay quiet had initially angered him. He believed the team would flounder without his constant guidance, and at first, he was right. However, after several minutes of silence, others began to step up. Ideas flowed, discussions sparked, and the team made progress. To his surprise, he admitted that some of their ideas were quite good. |