I do Holacracy 3. - the first meeting

Yes! I am really doing it. My first facilitated meeting was a disaster. Everyone hated me. I had a headache that lasted from early afternoon to the evening. Focusing on the guys was devastatingly tiring. We were 9 people sitting together with no break continuously fighting for 150 mins instead of the predicted 90.

We used to have a so called management meeting that includes the owners and the responsibles of HR, finance, office, pm, marketing. It is usually about trying to clarify problems that result in opening newer and newer nuances in one topic and realizing after 45 minutes that we are still at the beginning.

Apart from the fact that my first holacracy meeting was a nightmare for everybody. We REALLY SOLVED TENSIONS. I had the chance to observe interesting patterns on my collagues, that you may find useful to prepare for if you try this game in the future:
- Emotional instability, repeating arguments, preparing for defense.
- Thinking aloud and talking for a long time just to finally come up with a tension, or worse a new approach.
- A vague tension that feels to be adressed, panic when its not. Its a kind of fear of taking responsability and letting go of unimportant, but disturbing things.
- Starting a topic and loosing focus right after it.
- Fighting for attention.
- Fighting to be heard, fear of being unheard.

Naturally this meeting was not by the letters of the Holacracy constitution. How could it be… First of all only two of us red the constitution before. I told the others the rules and was glad that they engaged and followed. Great collagues. I did not separate the tactical and the governance flow.

I have to highlight that I had experience in moderation and facilitation of meetings and trainings before. Hardest three things are when facilitating the integral decision making process:
- Protecting the time and the attention of the suggestion maker, making people answering him/her, not me, the facilitator.
- Saying no when people want to talk (express ideas, etc) and it is not their turn. Making them understand that they will have their time
- Making people express themselves by tensions, suggestion, objections, clarifying question

Are you doing Holacracy? Have you facilitated or participated meetings before? What were your experiences?