Over 25 years ago, I was a senior policy advisor in the Ontario public service working on child care and welfare reform. That’s when I first noticed how relatively easy it was to get people into a room to meet, discuss ideas, come up with strategies and make some decisions. But getting policies, regulations, opinions, culture and legislation to change was a completely different story! Good intentions and clarity easily dissipated and were forgotten once everyone got back to their desks and existing priorities and problems consumed their focus and time. Fast forward to today. The challenge of turning ideas into action still hits roadblocks, u-turns and organizational gridlock. 

Organizations of all scale and in all industries are facing unprecedented levels of change and challenge. It’s important to come up with a game plan. Whether it’s a strategic planning offsite, or a big board meeting, these important gatherings is where decisions get debated and made, and priorities set. When you’re in the “room where it happens, ”there’s often a sense of excitement, momentum and satisfaction when you see that you and fellow colleagues are in alignment.