Pressure to participate

Have you ever been pressured to do something you didn’t want to do?

At church, a group of passionate kids were about to perform a short skit from the Bible. They were one child short, so a well-meaning parent “volunteered” his son.

When he found out he was supposed to go onstage with the others, he immediately broke down and cried so loud, everyone turned.

Luckily, the parent empathized with his son, comforted him, and told him he didn’t have to go.

At work, there are no parents to “volunteer” your input. But there’s pressure to leap into discussions and make quick decisions to solve complex problems.

This works beautifully for some people and for some problems.

But what about the people who aren’t ready yet to volunteer their thoughts? What do we lose by forcing them to participate before they’re ready?

What do we gain by being patient, letting them digest the information, and provide meaningful insights, especially for the complex problems?

Thanks for caring!

With gratitude,

Anwell Tsai