Crossing the Finish Line
with Facilitation
By Deirdre McCarthy Gallagher In my 25 years of running marathons, I have learned a few critical lessons: don’t go out too fast, practice the art of fueling on the run, and, most important, be proactive in stationing your spectators at points on the course where the race gets difficult. For me, this is typically miles 18 through 20. Those are the miles when I am thinking about how long 26.2 miles feels, worrying about my pace, and asking myself why I decided to run this race in the first place! My support crew offers me a few things. First, they give me external and objective encouragement that even if things are getting difficult, I need to trust my abilities and training. Second, they provide me tools to help me achieve my objectives, which often means an orange slice, jelly beans, and flat Coca-Cola. Third, they remind me of my goal: to put one foot in front of the other to get to that finish line.
Support is Essential
I think of my role as a facilitator as similar to the role of my support crew in a marathon. As a facilitator, I provide objective support when it is most needed. Recently, I facilitated workplace
conversations for a service-oriented business that, like so many businesses, has been indelibly impacted by COVID-19. The first months of the pandemic were focused on damage control: how to keep everyone on the payroll, how to best communicate and work with clients, and how to institute protocols for reopening. With those protocols in place, the organization then went into overdrive to open its doors, enforce mask and social-distancing guidelines, and provide exceptional service to its clients. It wasn’t easy, and it took a toll. The head of the organization recognized that the team members were not collaborating as effectively as they could, and he took action. As a leader, he understood two critical things: He was too close to the challenges to see things clearly, and if he were leading the effort, then the solutions would be leader-driven rather than team-driven. He called me in to facilitate workplace conversations. As an objective third party, I worked with team members individually and collectively to understand what was working well and what could be improved, as well as to solicit suggestions for changes. The answers were there. The team just needed the space to express its suggestions and brainstorm the next steps. Partners in Progress » May / June 2022 » 13
