PARTICIPATION

In desperation,
after torturous hours
struggling to stay awake
during deadly boring meetings,
I decided to try a new strategy.
Participation.
Instead of sitting there
"keeping a low profile" as they like to say
in play-it-safe business lingo,
I started to speak up.
Take chances.
I found my own comments
far more interesting
than anything else I was hearing.
The mere act of talking —
even if I wasn't saying anything
particularly brilliant —
kept me awake.
I gradually grew more daring.
Questioned the unintelligible.
Challenged orthodoxy.
Allowed my sense of humor.
Teased people.
Complimented someone
when I heard a good idea.
Meetings became more tolerable.
Even occasionally stimulating.
Other people responded.
Brains kicked in.
Personalities emerged.
What had started out
as a reckless act
born of desperation,
had turned into a quality
I had never thought to aspire to.
Leadership.


© Ellen Azorin