The Apathy of Process

It's easy to mistake a good agenda for a good meeting.

As a facilitator, I spend a bucketload of time designing agendas for offsites and workshops. I work with the client to make sure we’re all comfortable with theplan. Excited, even.

But here’s the uncomfortable truth: sometimes the agenda is the problem.

Why? Because it sets in motion a tidy game of ‘follow the bouncing ball’ – logical, safe… and completely disconnected from the real conversations just waiting (begging!) to happen.

That’s the apathy of process.

When structure becomes a sleepwalk.

When the objective quietly shifts from insight to completion .

When the best we hope for is to get through the topics and finish vaguely on time.

The best agendas aren’t simply a list of topics to cover off.

They provoke. They stretch.

They invite us to dance with the questions that real progress demands.

Great conversations are framed by bold questions:

• What’s the conversation we really need to be having?
• What’s the question we’d most like to grapple with today, and why does it matter?
• What do we want to walk away with — and how will it feel when we get there?
• Who needs to be heard?
• And what are we willing to let go of, if something better shows up?

The best meetings are led by people who hold purpose with clarity — and process with curiosity.

Because following the agenda is easy. Leading conversations that truly matter? That’s harder.

Of course this isn’t just about meetings. Where else in your world has processovertaken purpose?

A bit like the tail wagging the dog, if you ask me. 

Until next time,
Simon