{"id":9421,"date":"2019-05-02T07:00:47","date_gmt":"2019-05-02T11:00:47","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/mgrush.com\/blog\/?p=9421"},"modified":"2026-04-21T13:10:11","modified_gmt":"2026-04-21T17:10:11","slug":"why-facilitation-is-one-of-the-most-important-skills-for-the-future","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mgrush.com\/blog\/why-facilitation-is-one-of-the-most-important-skills-for-the-future\/","title":{"rendered":"Why facilitation remains an important skill for innovation and success"},"content":{"rendered":"
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This month we’re reposting an interview by Douglas Ferguson with Terrence Metz, Managing Director of MGRUSH<\/span><\/em> Facilitation Training.<\/h2>\n

This article originally appeared on voltagecontrol.com<\/a>. (Reprinted here with Douglas Ferguson’s permission.)<\/span><\/p>\n

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Terrence was a featured speaker at Control the Room: The 1st Annual Austin Facilitator Summit!<\/em>\u00a0<\/strong><\/span><\/h4>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n
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How can a company successfully oversee its internal ideas? It\u2019s a fascinating question in the era of innovation. Terrence Metz, Managing Director of MGRUSH<\/span><\/em> Facilitation Training and Coaching<\/a>, is a good guy to ask this gnarly question because\u00a0he once helped a major division of 3-M create a method for managing ideas.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Terrence is a leader in facilitation training who consults, coaches, and trains businesses worldwide.\u00a0<\/strong>He\u2019s taught over four hundred facilitation classes and three thousand students on five continents. His clients include Agilists, Scrum teams, program and project managers, and senior officers among numerous private and public companies and global corporations. He also writes a\u00a0blog<\/a>\u00a0with articles on facilitation skills to\u00a0help people lead faster, more productive meetings and workshops.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Terrence and I recently spoke and, since we share a passion for facilitation, I loved hearing his viewpoint. Read on for highlights from our conversation.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Terrence Metz, Managing Director of\u00a0MG RUSH Facilitation Training and Coaching.<\/span><\/strong><\/center><\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>
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Defining Ideas<\/h2>\n

A division of 3-M came to Terrence\u2019s organization when they discovered they didn\u2019t have enough new product ideas and it was causing them to fall behind. Consequently, Terrence helped them build a \u201cProduct Concept Management\u201d process. In other words, they defined how to manage indefinite or unformed concepts or \u201cfragments of ideas.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

He discovered that part of the problem of managing ideas is in definitions.\u00a0What exactly constitutes a valid idea to pursue?<\/strong> If the team doesn\u2019t agree on what an \u201cidea\u201d is, how can you vet them? They needed to have a common language. They decided that\u00a0\u201cnotions\u201d are ideas in a more embryonic state, while concepts are \u201cthe conversion or confirmation of a fully articulated, qualified idea.\u201d<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Terrence shared: \u201cThe group came to say, \u2018No, you don\u2019t have an idea if you\u2019re taking a shower. You have a notion.\u2019 You have something that could become an idea, but it\u2019s certainly not an idea while you\u2019re drying off. It\u2019s simply a notion.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cOur thesis,\u201d he explained, \u201cwas that ideas\/notions and concepts need to be managed differently. You may have problem descriptions floating out there, and they need to be analyzed relative to potential solutions. Fragments of ideas simply needed to be managed differently than a completely solid idea.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

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\u201cWe strongly urge an idea management process to never end. Even \u2018bad\u2019 ideas may yield value at some point in the future\u2026 We don\u2019t kill any ideas.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

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Terrence Metz<\/span><\/center><\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>
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When? Not If<\/h2>\n

As I do in all my interviews, I asked Terrence about wrong-headed things he\u2019s seen in organizational innovation programs and he said:\u00a0\u201cThe thought that \u2018It can\u2019t be done.\u2019 From a future view, it\u2019s not\u00a0if<\/em>, only\u00a0when<\/em>.\u201d<\/strong>\u00a0He went on to share a story that illustrated his point: \u201cI was working with research folks from Motorola when the first iPhone was rumored. But, they discounted the \u2018rumor\u2019 because their engineering group had looked at some of the touted features and had already determined that it could not be done.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

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\u201cIf it can be imagined it can be built. You have to relax typical constraints including time and budget. Then go back and evaluate if it\u2019s worthwhile\u2026\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n

For him, companies need to build solutions without any constraints:<\/strong> \u201cIf it can be imagined it can be built. You have to relax typical constraints including time and budget.\u00a0Then go back and evaluate if it\u2019s worthwhile or what components we have to remove, substitute, or replace to make it practical.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

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Terrence Helping to Manage an Open Issue<\/span><\/strong><\/center><\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>
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Focus, Focus, Focus<\/h3>\n

He also talked about the importance of focus<\/a> to inspire a \u201ccan do\u201d or \u201cblue sky\u201d attitude: \u201cIf you have the right people in the room, you can do anything\u2014if\u00a0<\/em>you can get them to focus on the same thing at the same time. The hardest thing to do with a group of smart people is to get them to focus.\u201d<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

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\u201cYou have to have such a well-established methodology so there\u2019s no time for their thoughts to drift.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n

This is where his experience as a facilitator comes in: \u201cYou can\u2019t get people to focus by telling them to focus, it doesn\u2019t work. First, you need to remove and be alert for possible distractions. Second,\u00a0you have to have a well-established methodology so there\u2019s no time for their thoughts to drift.<\/strong>\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Innovation is a mindset<\/span><\/h2>\n

To Terrence, innovation is an attitude or mindset: \u201cInnovation, much like Agile, should permeate every aspect of a business, especially those dependent on new sources of revenue. Innovation captures an attitude that ought to be pervasive within an organization, providing an ongoing commitment to newness.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

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\u201cInnovation might be viewed as a set of values that signifies a belief in seeing beyond present conditions\u2026\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

He described how he sees innovation defined at different levels of a company: \u201cAt the organizational level, it implies structural and cultural change. At the process level, it implies efficiency and effectiveness. At the product level, it implies new or changed technology, packaging, etc.\u201d<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

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\u201cIf we don\u2019t aspire for what\u2019s new, we\u2019re going to be somebody else\u2019s lunch.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Terrence also stresses that innovation relies on a commitment to change<\/strong>: \u201cWe know our competitors are changing. My commitment [to change] is based on this idea that the greatest motivator in life is death, and if we don\u2019t change we will die.\u00a0To avoid death we need what\u2019s new.\u00a0<\/strong>We\u2019ve got to be in a constantly changing, evolving process. If we don\u2019t aspire for what\u2019s new, we\u2019re going to be somebody else\u2019s lunch.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

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\u201cMy commitment [to change] is based on this idea that the greatest motivator in life is death, and if we don\u2019t change we will die.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Ingredients of Innovation<\/h2>\n

Terrence views the \u201cVoice of the Market\u201d as his innovation silver bullet. He doesn\u2019t believe in only listening to the Voice of the Customer because he doesn\u2019t think customers alone are the predictors of future needs.<\/span><\/p>\n

Another important ingredient for innovation is people who \u201cembrace diversity and stir up the pot.\u201d He looks for people who, \u201cdon\u2019t see obstacles, only opportunities. Those who have an attitude of embracing \u2018newness\u2019 are getting it both wrong and right. And since they persevere, they are getting it more right, and more frequently right, than others.\u00a0Some say \u2018fail fast.\u2019 I prefer, \u2018fail with a bow\u2019 (i.e. fail with dignity).\u201d<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

We also talked about measuring innovation. For Terrence, that can vary: \u201cTypically they include time and money. Edison measured his quantity of failures. 3M uses revenue from SKUs released in the past five years. I doubt there is a universal measurement\u2026\u00a0Regardless of the appropriate measures for an organization or industry, the trend line may be more critical than the discrete performance of any given period.<\/strong>\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

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Facilitators seek harmony, not happiness.<\/span><\/center><\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>
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Do we need an agreement?<\/h2>\n

As a facilitator, Terrence often brings people together to work on, and (hopefully) agree upon, a plan for the future.\u00a0But he doesn\u2019t believe in getting everyone to simply agree:<\/strong> \u201cAgreement is everybody thinking the same. Agreement would be as if we all played the same notes on a piano.\u00a0We\u2019re not seeking agreement, that\u2019s boring. What we\u2019re seeking is harmony<\/a>,\u00a0<\/strong>and that\u2019s where we\u2019re able to play different instruments, we\u2019re able to play different notes, but we\u2019re able to pull together in the form of a composition that surpasses anything one individual can do.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

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\u201cWhat we\u2019re seeking is harmony, and that\u2019s where we\u2019re able to play different instruments\u2026 but we\u2019re able to pull together in the form of a composition that surpasses anything one individual can do.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Instead of blanket agreement, Terrence looks for consensus: \u201c\u2026find something robust, strong, and clear enough that everybody in the room can get behind it and support it. It may not be anybody\u2019s favorite, but as a group, it becomes our favorite.\u00a0<\/strong>Consensus also means you\u2019re not going to lose any sleep over it. If you say one thing in this room, but you get home tonight and you toss and you turn, we don\u2019t have consensus.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

And, if a group truly cannot come to a consensus or resolve a major argument, Terrence sees termination as an option. \u201cWhen all fails, which can happen, what we need to do is terminate. We need to leave the room, but not with everything hanging in the aether. We need to document the nature of the argument, the reasons for contrasting positions and we need to get some help\u2026\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

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\u201cFacilitative leadership is perhaps one of the most important skills in the next 50 years.\u201d<\/span><\/center><\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>
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Facilitative leadership<\/h2>\n

According to Terrence: \u201cFacilitative leadership is perhaps one of the most important skills in the next 50 years.\u201d With today\u2019s complex work environments, no one person can know all the answers.\u00a0\u201cWhy do we have so much wasted meeting time if we have smart subject matter experts? If they have the knowledge and they have the energy, then why is the meeting failing?\u201d<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

He went on: \u201cWhy are we failing to come up with the right stuff? The answer is they don\u2019t know how\u2026The old command-and-control is dead.\u00a0If you\u2019ve got an answer, don\u2019t have a meeting.<\/strong>\u00a0But if you need answers, you need consensual solutions that entire groups can support and get behind, then what you need is not an \u201canswer man,\u201d you need a facilitative leader.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

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\u201cIf you need consensual solutions that entire groups can support and get behind, then what you need is\u2026a facilitative leader.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Of course, Terrence notes his bias toward facilitation since he trains people in it. However, even without official training, people need facilitation skills: \u201cWhat are those skills? Those skills are not public speaking.\u00a0They\u2019re not skills of style; they\u2019re skills of substance. It\u2019s not knowing the answer, it\u2019s knowing the question.\u00a0<\/strong>It\u2019s a skill of being a good listener, not a good persuasive charismatic speaker.\u201d #facilitationtraining<\/span><\/p>\n

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Don\u2019t ruin your career by hosting bad meetings<\/a>. Sign up for a workshop<\/a> or send this to someone who should. MGRUSH<\/span><\/a><\/em> workshops focus on meeting design and practice. Each person practices tools, methods, and activities daily during the week. Therefore, while some call this immersion, we call it the road to building high-value facilitation skills.<\/span><\/p>\n

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