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I THOUGHT THIS WAS LAME

Writer's picture: Arjanna van der PlasArjanna van der Plas

Right after posting this video about this odd phenomenon, it happened to me again.

I was going to lead a workshop at a client’s office, and my client invited me to attend the weekly team meeting that was scheduled right before the workshop to get a feel for the group.


After the workshop, the CTO of the company turned to me and said “you probably don’t realize this, but when you walked into our team meeting, something shifted. All of a sudden, everyone spoke up and shared their opinion, even the people that are normally very quiet. It was truly remarkable.”


I hadn’t said a word during that team meeting. All I had done was sitting in a chair and listening quietly.


This isn’t the first time this has happened to me. For as long as I can remember, I've been invited to meetings because 'people are nicer to each other when you're in the room'.

And I always thought that was so lame.

I wanted to be invited to meetings for my technical expertise, not because when I am present, people are more willing to let down their guards.


But now I see that very differently.


I realize that it's an incredible skill to have. By just being present, I can make a meeting go smoother. People are friendlier to each other. They are more likely to collaborate better. Negotiations will go better. People will focus on win-win situations and they're just generally having more fun. What a cool gift to have, and how easy for me to bring that to the table


So now I'm curious: what is a 'lame skill' that you have, that actually could be your superpower and how would you like to use it more?


And of course, if you'd like to explore how you could work more effectively and enjoyable by leveraging your 'lame skills', feel free to book a free sample coaching session with me to see how coaching can bring out the best in you: arjanna.com/workwithme


Want more? Sign up for my semi biweekly two-minute treat emails here!

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©2024 Arjanna van der Plas, pictures by Francisco Guijarro and Erna Drion.

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