From the novel Already In A Meeting
The founder who keeps changing the plan
The one with the new planYour enthusiasm is real. So is the speed. A part of you converts every uncomfortable feeling into a plan before the feeling has time to land, and the plans are good, which makes it very hard to catch.
Daniel
Founder and CEO
“This is our most important priority right now.”
What it looks like at work
1
This week's priority replaced last week's, which was also the most important.
2
Your best ideas arrive right after bad news.
3
Your team has learned to wait a few days before starting anything.
4
Sitting with a hard feeling feels like wasting time.
The part behind it
Why a part of you does this
This protector is fast and sincere. Every pivot makes sense at the moment it happens, and that is why it is so hard to see. What it protects you from is the feeling underneath, the one that arrives when things go wrong. The feeling waits. It is patient that way.
“Four pivots in eight months. Each one completely sincere.”Daniel's inner meeting, from the book
Daniel's episode
Daniel's episode has been rescheduled
It is still the most important priority. New episodes land on Instagram first.
One thing to try this week
The Pivot
From the book
- Think of something you have changed direction on more than once. A project, a plan, a way you approach something.
- What was the feeling just before you pivoted? Where did it live in your body?
- Ask: was it clarity, or was it relief? You don't have to answer out loud. Just notice the difference.
Why it helps. From the inside, relief can feel exactly like clarity. Telling them apart is the whole skill.
In the book
Daniel is one of five people at Arco
Arco is a small wellness startup that has pivoted four times in eight months. Already In A Meeting is a short, funny novel about the people inside it, and the meetings running inside each of them, with real parts work underneath. What happens to Daniel at the retreat is in the book.
Paperback and Kindle, and free on Kindle Unlimited.
Talk it through
Recognised yourself?
I'm Anna, the author. I work with this as an IFS coach, with professionals and leaders who are good at their jobs and tired of how much it costs them. The first call is free and lasts thirty minutes.
The other four
The one who holds it togetherKate, Chief of Staff
The one with three versionsPriya, Head of Marketing
The one who says fineTom, Engineering Lead
The one who can't stopMarta, Lawyer, and Tom's partner
Seeing these patterns across your whole team? Already In A Meeting for teams →