Every once and awhile we all have one of those lightbulb moments. This video discusses one of those moments for me. During the Executive Fire Officer Program at the National Fire Academy you get the chance to listen to some great minds and truly have the time needed to dedicate yourself to some critical thinking processes. In one of those discussions the topic of reading a room came up and how identifying key stakeholders within a room are critically important.
At the firehouse kitchen table you can do this. You can literally push yourself back from the table and look around the room during a conversation, just be observant. You will start to realize the “who’s who” in the room and this will give you the information you need to start building relationships and gaining trust. In the disorganization of a firehouse kitchen table conversation it is easy to lose sight of the big picture. When you want to move forward with new ideas or evaluate current tactics don’t lean in, lean back. You have to be able to observe your surroundings and identify the stakeholders in the room. This gives you the information you need to talk to those stakeholders and ultimately unlock the the progress you are looking to achieve.