Ever watch a six-figure salary stare silently at a blank whiteboard after being asked, “Where should we start?” I have. More than once. It’s not cheap. 

Draw something, even if it’s incomplete, and suddenly everyone has an opinion. 

That’s because reacting is easier than creating.  
The longer a leadership team stares at a blank page, the more expensive it becomes. Whether you’re leading a growth initiative, a digital transformation, a merger, or an acquisition, collaboration isn’t optional. It’s essential. 

Bruce Tuckman’s model of team development describes the journey as Forming, Storming, Norming, and Performing. You can’t avoid Storming. But you can shorten it. 

Remember the phrase:  
Something is better than nothing. 

Years ago, I was leading a technology project with a room full of highly technical people. We were trying to map the existing architecture, but no one could agree on how it actually worked. 

Everyone had an opinion. Arms were crossed, someone was texting, someone was typing on their laptop, eyes rolled. 

No one was writing. 

No one was drawing. 

The conversation went in circles. 

That’s when I discovered two lessons that still guide me today: 
* A whiteboard is one of the most powerful leadership tools you’ll ever use. 
* If I can’t follow a team’s logic, that’s a red flag. 

The next meeting, I walked to the whiteboard and said, “Something is better than nothing. Let’s start with the basics.” 

I began drawing boxes and arrows with the sophistication of Pictionary.  

After each step, I’d ask, “Do I have this right?” 

At first, everyone nodded. 

Eventually someone said, “No.” 

Another person disagreed. 

That was the turning point. I handed them the one squeaky dry erase marker in the conference room that actually worked. They stopped defending their opinions and focused on solving the problem. Heads started to nod. Phones were put down. I am not going to say we figured it out in one meeting, but we had definitely moved on from Storming to Norming. 

It wasn’t my boxes and arrows that got us there. It was giving the team something to react to 
I’ve repeated this approach countless times since then with executive teams, operations leaders, technology groups, and cross-functional initiatives. I rarely get the first draft exactly right. I don’t care.  This method isn’t about ego.  

Would you rather spend one meeting reacting to an imperfect draft or five meetings debating where to start? 

As leaders, we often believe our credibility comes from having the right answer. I believe leadership is about giving your team the tools to find the right answer and execute faster.   
That means creating an environment for collaboration. Sometimes all that takes is the courage to draw the first imperfect box. 

Where is your organization staring at a blank whiteboard? Is it a transformation? A merger? A process that’s been discussed for months but never documented? 

Reply and tell me where you’re stuck. I’d love to help you draw the first box and arrow. 

Because something really is better than nothing. 

Check out all of my previous newsletters here…
 
 And my latest podcast on the Rattigan Roundtable…

Keep turning that chaos into progress, 
 
 ­