Confessions from a Backrow Meeting Attender


Please, give me permission to speak up. During a roundtable meeting, I’m pushed to the back row. You’re covering a topic adjacent to an area that I’ve spent my entire career studying. Unfortunately, I was given instructions to sit here and take notes. If I could speak up, I’d give you ample feedback on why this program may not work or give you an alternative viewpoint. I see people constantly editing their thoughts here. It makes it incredibly difficult to tiptoe around the landmines of issues in the organization.


I wish I could ask you questions because I think we could expand on your goal. The extra five minutes on the topic could have shown you, the decision maker, what a gift this cost saving option really is and why just investing one more attempt at it would pay off. If we could all contribution to the discussion and downplay the loud squeakiest wheel in the room, you’d see unrecognized potential. We want to add value.


The jokes from attendees about the need for younger workers to have a safe space is exhausting. What is wanted is the protection to speak our minds about topics important to the business and us. It’d be great to have more than just two minutes to complete a thought and to step away from the heavily rehearsed script. I think you’re ready to ask questions but the sands running through the hourglass get us every time and we never dig into the topic.


The value of my friend’s input was incredibly consequential but unfortunately, no one knew her name and she wasn’t invited back to the second-deep dive into that same topic. Her candor would’ve been perfect to keep the loudest voice in the room in check. Plus, she’s a straight shooter and is ready to put these ideas into motion.


I appreciated the invite, but I have more to offer. I really want to contribute and make real change. The untapped power in this organization is unreal and awesome. If we could just use this cohesively, we could turn something unremarkable and insignificant into something powerful and lasting.
Location: Washington, DC, USA

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