I found myself in a meeting today where I knew virtually nothing of the subject and could contribute nothing more than an occasional nod or uh-huh – and that was only when I really understood the comment.
The subject was (roughly) quality assessment. Specifically the group of six women and me was brainstorming goals for year one in an ambitious five-year plan to put the university in a position to apply for a national quality award.
I brought nothing to the discussion, but far from that being intimidating, it was refreshing to listen to these very smart women and watch how their minds worked: an expert in research and analysis, an assessment expert , a corporate trainer, two academic program development experts and one with long experience in IT and manufacturing processes. The talk was of process and program auditing, metrics and performance indicators; goals and gap analysis; leadership and training. It was far removed from my every day, and I was challenged to stay with it, to attempt understanding.
I was there in a communications capacity, and I know that reading, discussion and more exposure to the subject will render me almost conversant and at least knowledgeable enough to plan and execute internal communications as needed. But for today, I felt satisfied enough just to listen and learn from six very smart women. And to discover at the end of the meeting that I had the same four goals listed in my scribbly notes as those recapped by the leader.
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