• Lack of confidence by individuals presenting reports and updates.
• Identification, close association or ownership of processes by individuals participating in the discussion or attending the meeting.
• Tendency of some individuals to use meetings as platforms to demonstrate their knowledge of certain processes.
• Company or organizational culture.

How can we deal with these factors?

Being confident can be a challenge early in our careers or when we join a new organization or assume a new role.  It is natural.  Confidence grows as we establish a performance record or gain knowledge.  An executive who headed an organization to which I belonged helped me overcome the confidence challenge.  In my first 2-3 reports or presentations to the executive, I spent a great deal of time explaining how I achieved the results.  The results that I achieved were outstanding.  I wanted to prove that I had accomplished the ETR factor (Earned the Right).  I wanted to emphasize my competency.  The executive asked me to stop by his office after one of the presentations.  He said to me:
 
Linwood, you do not have to tell me how you achieved the results.  If I did not think you were capable, I would not have hired you.  If you stop delivering results, I will fire you.


He cured my case of Confidence Deficiency Syndrome (CDS).  We should not forget that we are hired because of our competency and that we will thrive if we use our competency to deliver results.

Process owners or subject matter experts are part of the backbone of organizations.  They ensure the consistency that drives efficiency and sustainability.  However, there are times when changes in processes and procedures can drive higher levels of results.  Prior to the 1968 Olympic Games, the standard technique for the high jump was to jump the bar from a sideway position.  Dick Fosbury invented the Fosbury Flop in which jumpers performed a backward flip over the bar.  Jumpers using the Fosbury Flop went on to set world records in the high jump.   Individuals can engage in unending discussions of the pros and cons of different processes and approaches.  However, results speak for themselves.

We are all proud of our knowledge.  Some of us have the tendency to be vocal or very willing to demonstrate our knowledge.  And, this tendency can be reinforced by the culture of the company or the organization.  I tend to classify companies into 2 categories when it comes to how individuals approach the performance of their jobs. 

• How organizations
• What organizations

In the How organization, adherence to established processes and procedures is strongly enforced and valued.  Processes are often changed through well-documented processes to change processes.