Recently a colleague and I discussed the difference between embracing a result and embracing the process.

Parts of her team had produced a document describing the governance the team could adopt. She had reacted by appreciating the produced document as a great work. But her feedback and appreciation had failed to land. Initially, the team had followed her lead acknowledging the document as is. But it became clear that the team as a whole found it hard to move forward. The suggested governance model still had to be transformed into guidance and a shared understanding.

That the suggested governance model initially seemed to work for everyone prevented the team from taking hold of it. They had their ideas of it, but these ideas had not yet connected the model with its application. What they hadn’t discovered either was how different their ideas related to the application were. The lack of conversation about the document prevented disagreement from appearing. Paradoxically, the feedback received from the leader had reduced the safety in the group. They couldn’t engage in a process allowing them to uncover how existing differences could separate them from one another.

Embracing the produced result, as she had done, assumed that her understanding of the document was a common understanding. Unconsciously, the team reacted to this by trying to avoid contradicting her. But it found itself confused with how to please her. Embracing the process of discovering the governance model together transformed the situation. Using the document as a starting point the team could use it to discover their ideas and existing differences. As the team embraced that process, they found themselves learning from one another, discovering the deeper meaning of some of the ideas, and transforming them wherever needed. The differences they uncovered helped to see how to come to a shared understanding of creating a governance model the team was ready to work with.