Recognise when you need to remove yourself from the conversation

The other day I was in a meeting with a supplier when I noticed the CEO of the company got up about five times, apparently to go to the toilet.

“Is everything OK?” I asked him after the meeting was finished.

“Absolutely,” he answered. “I’m just following the advice of one of my mentors. He told many years ago that I was the type of person that needed to get up and go to the toilet a lot during important meetings.”

I was a bit confused and told him so. He explained that his personality type meant he had to learn the art of disappearing. He’s a very energetic fellow, but he can tend to dominate conversations, exclude others and push and push and push until he gets his way.

While it was an effective way of doing business, his mentor told him it wasn’t the right way to build lasting relationships inside or outside his company. His mentor told the CEO he needed to know when to be quiet.

But the CEO struggled. He just couldn’t shut up! So his mentor came up with a simple solution – regularly get up and go to the toilet, just to break things up.

I’ve thought about this a lot since our meeting and wondered if I had a personality type that needs to be removed from conversations at some point. Do I control things too much? I am too bossy? Do I need to listen better?

On second thoughts, don’t answer that question for me. But answer it for yourself.

Get it done – today!