The boss wants to get the group together to think through some issues, and get everyone to buy into the solutions. But if the boss leads the discussion, the group‘s creativity won’t blossom – they will simply act in their familiar roles.
If a professional “facilitator” leads the discussion, the ideas will be more creative , the group dynamics will respect each of the participants, and agreement or “buy-in” will be more dependable.
Unfortunately, facilitators tend to be professionals at group dynamics, but not at business. This causes frustration as the facilitator wastes time due to misunderstanding the business issues or proposed solutions.
The boss really needs a business professional who is skilled at leading group discussions toward group decision-making and buy-in; this is the facilitator with the most effective skillset to get the best results from the team.
Tom Gray is both a business professional and an experienced facilitator with large and small companies in several industries. In addition, his years teaching MBA students have honed his ability to communicate concepts and practical techniques effectively.
He gained his business meeting facilitator experience in a diverse set of groups: US phone companies, FLAG in London, Belgacom in Brussels, MobilTel in Bulgaria, Mobtel in Serbia, Mooney Airplane Company, and St. Joan of Arc Parish Council.
Tom even brings a proven approach, his “action-oriented strategy”(pdf), for use when the team does not have a particular agenda of its own.
“I’ve been in a number of strategy sessions, but Tom’s approach is the best I’ve ever seen.” -Ken Volz, CFO, Warwick Valley Telephone Company
