𝐀 𝐜𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐠𝐮𝐞 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐨𝐝𝐮𝐜𝐞𝐝 𝐡𝐢𝐦 𝐭𝐨 𝐦𝐞 𝐚𝐬 𝐚 “𝐜𝐨𝐚𝐜𝐡’𝐬 𝐝𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭.”

Thoughtful. Self-aware. Easy to work with.

I was brought in to work with his leadership team on a very specific dilemma:

They had to decide whether to shut down one of their oldest product lines.
The numbers were clear. The decline had been steady. This wasn’t new information.

And yet, for three months, no decision.

They would have this series of meetings. Everybody would share their perspective. The leader would invite, acknowledge and appreciate every voice.

On the surface, nothing was wrong.

And still, they kept leaving without a call.

In the first couple of sessions, I noticed something I couldn’t ignore.

I felt irritated – this sense of constriction in my chest as if something was not being said here.

So I paused them.

“I want to check something,” I said. “I’m noticing irritation in me. It feels like we’re circling this very carefully… and not saying something more direct.”

There was a pause.

Then one person said, “I am on the horns of frustration – I think we need to shut this production line.”
Another said, “I agree. I’ve just not been saying it like that.”
A third added, “Same.”

All eyes went to the leader.

He nodded. Reflected. Appreciated the clarity.

And then started brain storming options

You could feel the drop.

And then someone said,
“Okay… but who is going to bell the cat here?”

Silence.

Then, more clearly:
“Raj, I can’t keep pretending this is still an open question. I think you’re very attached to this product – you built it. And I don’t experience you as someone who is ready to let it go.”

That shifted something.

Not into conflict.
Into contact.

People stopped talking about the decision and started talking to him.

“What is your position?”
“What are you not saying?”
“What would it cost you if we shut this down?”

For the first time, he didn’t respond with a summary.

He paused.

And then he said, “You all are right – I know this product needs to go. And I also feel a lot of resistance saying that out loud. My identity feels attached to it.”

That was the movement that facilitated the shift from analysis to relationship.

Until then, the group had been working the problem.
Now they were working with each other.

Naming my irritation interrupted the pattern long enough for the group to see what they were doing—and what they were avoiding. This marked the beginning of deeper work for this team.

This is the work we do at ACG.

Staying with what is happening between people, not just what is being discussed.
Bringing in honesty without turning it into attack.
Recognising the parts of us that hold back, smooth over, or wait.
And paying attention to how power actually operates in the room.

𝗜’𝗺 𝗼𝗽𝗲𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮 𝗯𝗶-𝗺𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗵𝗹𝘆 𝗔𝗖𝗚 𝗴𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗽 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗝𝘂𝗻𝗲 𝗼𝗻 𝟭𝘀𝘁 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝟯𝗿𝗱 𝗠𝗼𝗻𝗱𝗮𝘆𝘀 (𝟭𝟭𝗮𝗺 𝘁𝗼 𝟭𝗽𝗺 𝗲𝘁)