106 PART II Bridging the Knowing-Doing Gap

I’ve never seen before.” You think, “We’re sitting where? What’s this oppor- tunity?” Skip shows a few slides that must say something about this unique opportunity. Unfortunately you can’t read that size font from this distance. (Note to self: get new glasses.) After a few minutes, Skip says, “OK, so I think you all see why I am excited to be part of this new direction for our com- pany. I’d like to turn it over to head of IT, Phyllis Brotherly.”

Phyllis asks everyone to turn to the first tab in their binders. You notice that there must be over a hundred pages of PowerPoint printouts behind this tab alone. You sigh. She begins her talk and doesn’t end for a very long time. She asks if there are any questions. Silence, and then a few of the usual suspects ask some questions. Question four seemed like it might have been interesting, but you were tuned out for the first few minutes of her answer. Ah, well, maybe next time.

After the break, five more presenters explain what’s what and how the company is going to make the dream of New Technology for the Future and Beyond a reality. A motivational speaker comes on to close the day. He tells you to be sure to have a good attitude. You think, “I wish I’d thought of that.” Mercifully, it’s 5:30 and you go home.

You’ve been to meetings like that, right? You may have run meetings like that. Sadly, these are where most changes actually start. A leader or a small cadre of senior people gets an idea in their heads. Their excitement builds. They put together a plan that explains where they want to go and