Meetings. Whether you love them or hate them, having conversations with colleagues is the most effective way we can work together to solve some of the challenging, complex problems organizations of all kinds face.

But how many times have you been in a meeting, or even a workshop learning something new, and…nothing happened afterwards. Research by Gallup asserts that 70% of change initiatives fail. The ideas you were so excited about fizzle and then are forgotten. The inevitable burden of workload and inertia of “this is how we’ve always done things” slides back into your awareness and the idea of doing your work differently so you can make change just seems like a naïve pipe dream.

In this visual map, I spell out the stages of how good intentions can fall short of their goals.

We Start out with Great Intentions…

Getting people together, whether virtually or in person, is a fantastic way to strengthen relationships, leverage the power of the wisdom in the room, and start to see a way through your current challenges together.

This starting point is a place where good intentions and willingness to make change happen abound. At an individual level, you no longer feel on your own. You experience the strength of your team first hand. It’s enticing. It’s captivating. You can leave that group discussion feeling “I am SO COMMITTED to this!”  It’s like you’ve generated a huge, vibrant vortex full of the energy, focus and goodwill that you’ll need to direct towards your objectives and goals. Let’s call this your Great Intention Energy.

…but then you start to forget…

The expression “out of sight, out of mind” truly applies here. Our brain is not a sponge that can recall everything it heard or experienced well. We experience a “forgetting curve” where if information isn’t recalled, applied, and reflected upon actively, we start to lose it – and quickly!

If the experience of your retreat or meeting was a full colour, high definition IMAX experience where you felt invincible, that quickly fades to a scratchy black and white movie. The decisions, conversations and insights you had quickly feel like a distant memory. Having a strategy for retention and action after a meeting – something more inspiring than simply the “minutes of the meeting” – is crucial. Some of that initial “Great Intention” energy vortex gets diverted to simply trying to recall or explain to others what the big deal was about that retreat you attended.

…and then you start to feel overwhelmed…

Being out of your usual work flow for a meeting or retreat can be costly. Emails and word demands pile up, and when you get back to your work station you feel the pressure again. “There’s too much on my plate,” you cry as you face the inevitable and unrelenting demands of your existing workload.

You try to navigate a work world of perpetual overwhelm. Pressurized work environments, growing demands, shrinking resources and competing priorities challenge you to think clearly. From that state of mind, it’s tough to figure out how to change your current work habits and structures to make room for the initiatives and changes you thought you wanted to make. Now, even more of your Great Intention Energy is siphoned off to cope with juggling all the balls you have in the air.

…and then you get fed up and cynical.

A third stage in the dissipation of your Great Intention Energy happens when you realize nothing has measurably improved in your world. You see the lack of progress that’s been made since the last meeting, and you have no doubt you’ll be asked to join in another meeting to regroup. Again. Even worse, you can’t even figure out how all that talk about improvement and progress was even relevant to you and what you do in the first place.

Change fatigue sets in and you start to feel disengaged. “Yeah, nothing EVER changes”, is the conclusion you draw. Your motivation to contribute differently is at a low point and your skepticism about the ability for your organization to change and have more impact is at an all time high. You feel less inspired than ever to do more and would rather just keep your nose to its current grindstone.

All of this Leads to Less-Than-Great Impact

Just like you need a full tank of gas in your car to make a long trip, you need to sustain a lot of Great Intention Energy to get you across the finish line of implementation. The rubber really hits the road after the retreat or meeting. Information and decisions without action or any follow-through are essentially useless. Developing resilience, taking more risks, becoming more innovative and collaborative, or strengthening your culture isn’t ever going to be a one-off conversation.

When that Great Intention Energy flow gets diverted and dissipated, you just don’t have enough collective will left to do anything other than tackle the action items of least resistance and hope they’ll do the trick. Leaders need to think through and be intentional not just about what’s on the agenda, but mapping out the pathway from idea to implementation so you can turn ideas into action.