I was thinking back about all the things I learned this year and something popped into my head that made be cringe, and laugh a little. A few weeks ago, I ran my first focus group. My teammates and I were sharing a concept with a group of managers and looking for their perceptions, ideas, thoughts etc.
I was the lead and really wanted to make a connection with the group as I described the process. Then, a phrase came out of my mouth that I would later regret. I didn’t plan on it and I’m not sure where it came from, but it happened. I told them that I want them to “Think outside the box, inside the box and around the box�?. Ugh. Even reading it now I cringe.
As much as I don’t want to be a “typical�? consultant, I pretty much cemented that perception with a single phrase. It’s one of my lessons learned from 2004, one of many.