I started a new job this week and met some people I'll be working with within various meetings in Lisbon, where I travelled towards the end of the week.
How do you approach that meeting when you're parachuted into a room as 'somebody else's boss' with people who have been there for the longest time?
There is a phrase that people working in child protection use: silent watchfulness.
It's where children who have been abused keep their mouths shut and look out for signs of danger or trigger points.
Perhaps not the best analogy in terms of where it comes from, but perhaps the absolute best in a world where we're taught that we have to shout for attention at the earliest possible opportunity.
Sometimes the best strategy is to keep your mouth shut and let others speak.
As I think, and as I write this, I believe there is rarely a situation where that is not the best strategy.
I am renowned for having a very big mouth and for talking too much, and Nancy even told me in the podcast recently that I finish people's sentences.
I have to practise this and get better at it because the skill of listening and waiting gains far more than trying to talk over the top of someone else's story.
Blog Post Number - 3435
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