Potatoš„Pat: Meeting Adj-Urned
Potatoš„Pat: Meeting Adj-Urned
Our first Ground-Up Governance web comic with a brand new character: Potato Pat!
If youāre thinking āwoah dude, what the #&%$ are Nate and Matt up to now!?ā then youāre in the perfect headspace for our newest Ground-Up Governance experiment: Potato Pat. Potato Pat is an adorable personification (potatofication?) of the status quo, and the āheroā + namesake of our new web comic. What you see above is the very first instalment.
OK, OK youāre also probably thinking: āOMG the adorable looks on everyoneās faces! Why doesnāt Potato Pat have any limbs? Is Potato Pat justā¦floating somehow? I didnāt know bananas had bonesā¦neat!ā And those are all perfectly valid thoughts. BUT THERE'S MORE!
The point of the Potato Pat comics isnāt *just* to make fun of the boring status quo jerk at every board meeting/conference/party/etc. Inside every Potato Pat in your life is a smart and capable person who just needs the right conditions to thrive. Yes, sure, Potato Pat doesnāt know when to shut up, and is oblivious to how boring their stories are. But we (Nate & Matt) also think an alternate universe is possible. That alternate universe looks something like this:
One of our objectives with Potato Pat is to engage our audience (you!) in a discussion of how to make the governance world a bit better. Every instalment of Potato Pat will have both a comic strip AND an illustration of an alternate universe - just like what you see above. Hereās where YOU come in. Weāre also gonna ask you to share your ideas about how to avoid the status quo and make the alternate universe real real. Here are your prompts for this week:
What could the banana have said in panel 1 to help to avoid everyoneās untimely deaths?
What is your preferred approach to managing the Potato Pat types in your life without making them feel unappreciated?
Look at everyone in the alternate universe. Theyāre so engaged! Happy, even. What are the conditions at meetings that make you feel like that?
Please post your responses and thoughts in the comments. Feel free to answer these questions or share any insights you like! Since this is the first instalment, weād also really appreciate your feedback on this idea in general. If you donāt feel comfortable sharing publicly, shoot an email to matt@groundupgovernance.com or nate@groundupgovernance.com to reach us directly.
Thanks Matt and Nate.
#1 Any questions related to the annual summary that was just presented. This directs the group a little to focus on what you want comments on, it is not an open discussion. It would ap'pear' that this is banana's first interaction with Pat and I am hopeful that banana will learn from this experience for next time
#2 I try to engage them before meetings formally start so as to let them comment on general things on their mind. Additionally I try to provide presentations in advance to get their feedback before the meeting so as to allow them to be heard.
#3 Meeting participants have received the materials in advance and had an opportunity to convey initial comments early (in advance), they have all had an opportunity to participate which can only happen if the culture is such that everyone is listening and respectful of the other members of the meeting.
Cheers - Darcy
G'day from Australia!
Love a good comic and in particular one on governance. While I'm not too crash hot on the choice of a potato (there are some lagging, ableist types out there who do use that as a slur for differently abled people), I do get that there are beloved Pats out there who can do great things in the right settings.
As for #1, Banana's question was vague, and doesn't lend itself to clarifying any particular points. Definitely could have narrowed the margins for that one or indicated that there was a need to move on so a limit would need to be put on the Q&A in general with anything more substantial to be directed, addressed and circulated as appropriate after the meeting.
#2: Acknowledgement and signposting are great facilitator/presenter skills to keep everyone on track. If Banana felt like they needed to keep moving, they could indicate that the feedback was valuable, and that they'd like to discuss that further outside of the meeting context so that Pat could get everything off his chest that he needed to. That could then be directed to an in person/email/Slack setting as appropriate.
#3: Engagement in meetings is all about preparation, keeping author/presenter content briefer, pursuing a participatory dialogue where everyone gets a chance to have a say and feel safe to do so, and where it gets wrapped up neatly (with actions as appropriate) so everyone knows what they're coming away with; ensuring its not a meeting for the sake of a meeting.
That's my AUD$0.02.
Keep up the excellent work. Looking forward to the next one mates