Look Out! It's a Mindtrap! (Bonus: Meeting Facilitation Tips & Tricks to Help Get Out of a Trap)

​Our brains are hard wired to do some things that may have worked “way back when,”—queue the nostalgic music—in simpler, more predictable times. But in a VUCA world, where information is on a superhighway, and change happens rapidly—our brains sometimes lead us astray. In her 2019 book Unlocking Leadership Mindtraps: How to Thrive in Complexity, Jennifer Garvey Berger calls this mental sabotage “mindtraps” and, it turns out, there are five traps we can learn to avoid…

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1. ​We are trapped by simple stories. Our desire for a simple story blinds us to the real one.
2. We are trapped by our desire to be right. We look at the world as we see it, and believe that’s real.
3. We are trapped by agreement. And seeking agreement blinds us to other possibilities.
4. We are trapped by control. We want to be in control and simply cannot control everything.
5. We are trapped by ego. The person we want to seem to be is keeping us from growing and learning.

If you’re as intrigued as I was, please read the book, or refer to this 2-page discussion summary from our CBODN book club. You will find details on the mindtraps and questions to challenge your mindtraps and help you build new behaviors.
 
Now That We Are Aware of The Mindtraps, What Can Be Done?
So what do we do about it? There are times when you see a trap, but you are not sure how to get out of it—elegantly or otherwise. If you are a leader who facilitates a lot of meetings, chances are good that you want to talk less and encourage more participation. Chances are also good that you’d like to encourage the group to participate fully, when often times people can seem distracted, even during important discussions. The book club gang quickly rattled off a list of resources, tips, and practices that help individuals and groups facilitate everyday and difficult discussions. I also added to the list. Here are a few you may wish to try…

​Tip, Tool, or Technique	Purpose	How
​Rule of Seven	Help a group learn to present disagreement, and help a group explore options even if one “good” idea is agreed-upon.	Facilitator starts by pointing (randomly) to one person in the room, and then randomly counting (to the left or right) until they stop at the number 7. That person then has to “play lawyer” or “devil’s advocate” and argue why a particular decision is a bad one.
​One Word Whip	​Help a group get centered at the start of a meeting, and/or wrap up learning (allow for reflection) at the end of a meeting.	Facilitator asks everyone in the room to share “one word” about your current state or where your mind is. Go around the room quickly without commenting and allow each person to share a word. Optional: ask if anyone wants to elaborate on their word. The responses are often random, but doing this exercise of reflection at the start of a meeting will allow everyone to “leave any distractions at the door” and shift gears to focus on the present moment. This exercise can also be used at the end of a training session, for example, to share one word that captures the essence of what they’re walking away with.​
Meeting Management Cards	Help create a safe and engaging environment that is participatory. Help a group contribute to the desired meeting outcomes.	Each person in a meeting writes a discussion item or meeting agenda item on a small card or post-it note. Place cards at center of table, and review as a group. Flip through cards and read them out loud. Decide which topics (cards) to discuss today, and which to save for later, handle by email, etc.
Pre-Mortem	​Help a group see downsides of a seemingly good idea. Help lift blindspots and/or affirm that a decision is a sound one.	A “Post-mortem” is after action review whereas a “Pre-mortem” is conducted before an idea is implemented. The facilitator starts by challenging the group to “think of 100 ways this project could go sideways.” Do it in a fun, enthusiastic way. Everyone can be agreeable while poking at the idea. Example: “The technology might not work.” Or, “What if a meteor hits and blows up the building?”

​How’s that for a start? If this is useful, let me know. And, if you have other quick tips, please pass them along and I will add your ideas to the list!
 
Let me wrap up by sending out a huge thanks to Devah Galloway (in the photo, she’s over my (Laura) left shoulder) for talking with the CBODN book club about mindtraps and leading a great discussion.