One of the benefits of being put on the spot is that pressure crystalizes ideas.
This is true in nature – diamonds and other crystals are able to form due to the immense pressure and heat that is built up. The analogy carries over (within limits of course!) to us.
My scenario – I am presenting to a group of friends in our class about how peer coaching works, and I’m the guinea pig / victim. I think that I’ve got a pretty good idea of what I’m going to share as I talk about time management struggles and the need for clarification of priorities and how I need to use my calendar more. Nothing too significant.
Until I have to explain why I’m having this challenge, and then suddenly I’m stuck. Silence for one, two, three, four. . . pressure kicks in and suddenly the three books I’m reading make sense.
I need to make a list of all my roles and responsibilities and deliverables.
Then I need all the information in my calendar and ToDo.
Calendars won’t function properly without priorities. (Master Your Time, Master Your Life)
Priorities cannot exist unless you’ve got Vision. (Visioneering)
Vision won’t exist in a vacuum – it needs to meet with the real needs of the community. Without clarity, vision doesn’t motivate (Visioneering)
In real life there needs to be trade offs and negotiations – you can’t do it all. (Never Split the Difference)
Suddenly, a little pressure seems like a pretty reasonable trade-off for a dose of insight.