What does the “Elephant in the Room” mean? This is where everyone in a meeting knows that there is an issue or problem BUT no one is talking about it. In many cases, the more the 
elephant is ignored, the bigger it grows!
What are the costs of NOT dealing with it?
- Big problems and issues are avoided or minimized
- Meetings become a waste of time
- There is no ‘real’ dialogue, discussion or debate
- People avoid the real issues
- There is a high level of apathy and very low level of engagement.
Why does it happen? The number one reason is FEAR of not wanting to deal with it.
If you have an elephant in your workplace (or even at home), it’s time to not only NOTICE it but also to NAME IT and TAKE MEANINGFUL ACTION to get rid of it. Yes, this requires COURAGE and the payoff can be huge.
How do you deal with it? Here’s a 5 step process that can make your life (and your team members’ lives) easier:
- NAME IT – once you name it, you can openly talk about it.
- GET IDEAS FROM TEAM MEMBERS – on how to deal with it. The more ideas, the better.
- GET AGREEMENT ON THE BEST SOLUTION.
- GET BUY-IN from ALL team members on next steps.
- STEP FORWARD TOGETHER by taking meaningful action.
Most elephants will not go away by themselves. In fact, once they have found a home, they tend to stay for a long, long time.
How about you? I invite you to take Step 1 and NAME your ‘elephant’ by leaving a REPLY below. LISTENING PAYS!