I was in one virtual group discussion recently and in one of those, no-agenda conversation, where the group is expected to meander a long until a eureka comes out of our minds.

This no-agenda, no steering, slow-as-you-go kind underwhelms. 

Although I like those slow-to-go-fast mode, I don't like anything without an agenda or at least an outcomes-setting that we need to reach at the end of this all.

The facilitator told us, "You don't have to talk if you don't have to. You can just listen."

And so in our little break-out group, everybody wants to be a listener and not talk at all.

Well, taking this cue literally means that we won't get things done. 

How can we have the luxury of not talking if we haven't done enough talking to form the basis of this group's work?  

I'm not interested in cultural signalling for the sake of cultural signaling.

This is work whether we like it or not. Others have volunteered and more so, we need to respect their time making themselves involved in seeking an outcome. 

Process without substance is dead. You want a energizer, get a coffee please. You want an ice breaker, give me a hammer and I'll break the ice. There's no need to be checking-in every 15 minutes and asked: "Are you okay? Are you having fun? Are you feeling loved? 

​Let's get down to business, shall we?

​Reading Kahneman's Think Slow and Fast, made me remember a few years ago, I sat in the Board Room with other community members. The municipality was showing us the rationale for partnering with the federal government in the tune of USD 300 million dollars private-public-partnership to provide a new water supply source and treatment plant for the residents. 

They've got charts, graphs, and statistics to prove the water scarcity will be catastrophic to residents and businesses in four years. The partnership will be involve a new water source to avert the water depletion, including a private company running the water delivery for 30 years. The residents were persuaded to vote positively in the referendum on this matter.

The residents were not too sure with this project and the referendum lost. 

It turned out, that the water supply source was not the problem, but the system capacity was. The water scarcity was a tactical pressure. The project was on hold until further independent assessments were done. Past forward in 2016, there was no water scarcity as predicted by the staff and proponents of the P3 project. 

According to the commission overseeing the water supply system, the supply is assured to be in good standing until 2031 but conservation efforts must be upheld. 

Watching this in the sidelines kept me thinking about the agenda behind this powerful push. I knew something was just not computing. Throwing 300 million USD dollar down the drain on unnecessary fixes and indirect activities is the worst you can do for water.

Slow thinking which means looking at evidence and securing a multiplicity of independent perspectives could avoid a likely catastrophic policy mistake. Although not perfect, this is as close as you can get to the real water issue. 

I'm relieved the residents took a hold of this issue until rational minds get to work.  

​How do you attract the best client/customer/sponsor/funder for your work? 

Be the best.

Have a criteria.

The best to you might not be the best to others.

Keep that criteria front-and-center at all times.

Do not compromise or acquiesce on other's timelines, demands, and expectations.

Keep up that damn good work.

Adapt to the changing requirements of the times. 

Don't compare yourself with the neighbor next door.

And stay true to who you are and the values you hold dear.

Because the best people and best organizations are also looking for excellent providers/supporters/partners.

Give them the reason to look you up, listen to what you have to say, and follow your work.

That's what we know today in our social media world as 'connecting.'

Connect meaningfully but loosely.

Offer something of value when the time comes and see what happens.