How I like to start my meetings now

I like how transferable the skills I’m learning are to the rest of my life.

I wish I had taken this many years ago.

I wonder what it will feel like to actually teach strangers.

This is how I feel about the year-long yoga teacher training program that I’m in. My statements above are an example of a simple design thinking tool called Like Wish Wonder (that I’ve become obsessed with recently).

It is a simple practice that I use at the start of meetings (with my management team, clients and my board). Each person answers the questions “I like…”, “I wish…” and “I wonder…” with a short headline-style statement. I acknowledge what was shared by saying “thank you for sharing” and do not respond to anything or ask any further questions.

Here is another example. This week, I had a board meeting and that caused me to reflect on how I feel about my board.

I like that I connect with and respect each of my board members as people.

I wish we were able to meet as a group in-person versus only over the phone.

I wonder how else each of them might be able to contribute to my business.

What I love about Like Wish Wonder is that it is a super efficient way to get a pulsecheck of the group, it engages each person individually and creates the space for each person to share how they feel. It is far more effective than “how are you” and quickly surfaces the diversity in the group. As no one will respond or ask me probing questions, I find that what I share is more personal, vulnerable and transparent. I do not fear having to defend what I am about to say. And this creates a feeling of trust amongst within the gathering.

Here is one final example. I recently decided to start using Instagram. Not as a consumer, but as a research tool for our advertising products at Polar and as a producer of content on mindfulness. How do I feel about Instagram?

I like how easy it was to buy advertising with just a few clicks from my phone.

I wish it was not designed to steal and waste people’s most valuable resource.

I wonder how using it might influence my perception of myself over time.

Find me on Instagram (@kunal.mindful) if you’re curious to see how my journey evolves.

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