Setting Boundaries for Productive Meetings
Today at one of our Manifest Monday coffee groups, which was super fun and amazing, politics came up. One of our beloved members expressed her frustration with the two-party system. In her mind, it doesn’t represent freedom, and she was genuine in her ideas. The discussion quickly shifted to who others were voting for, followed by offers to share videos to “prove otherwise.”
I quickly asked the members to refocus on their businesses. It’s election season, and politics are on people’s minds, but Rebel Heart meetings are not political forums. They aren’t recruiting centers and certainly not debate spaces. While we may want to discuss such topics as friends outside the group, within Rebel Heart, we must maintain the principle that everyone is free to support whomever they want, and we can agree to disagree.
Maintaining Focus on Our Primary Goal
This isn’t about suppressing excitement or censoring information. It’s about setting boundaries, creating a space where people can slip up and express frustrations, like in this case about a system, but not let it derail our primary goal: building a wealthy community through networks and referrals. If you find yourself in a meeting or heart-to-heart conversation and do not want to engage in a political discussion, take the opportunity to clearly state a boundary. A simple, “Hey, let’s move on, I want to focus on the business side of things in this meeting,” can redirect the conversation.
Embracing a Culture of Respect and Collaboration
As facilitators, we will always strive to keep meetings on track and aligned with the meeting’s goals. However, it is also your responsibility to speak up if you feel a line has been crossed or if it is a topic you don’t want to participate in—especially in heart-to-hearts. Practice being clear with your boundaries and have an agenda to refer back to. If someone reveals a political view that doesn’t align with your own, try not to dismiss the entire person. We are here to find common ground, work together, and remain aware of the mass manipulation and division seeded upon the population. We can hold ourselves to higher standards than those currently prevalent in society. But please, inform the person that you are here to focus on business building conversations, not politics. Of course, if you both are willing parties, we have no issue with this. Freedom of speech and all of that!!
As the quote from Andrew Breitbart states, “Politics is downstream from culture.” We are in the business of collectively creating a new culture—one that is people-centric, pro-humanity, and pro-freedom. As a movement creating a prosperous culture, we know we are upstream of politics, and the way we conduct ourselves in these meetings will eventually inform politics. Yes, we believe that as a group, we are that significant—it doesn’t take many people to co-create a new vision that is attractive, exciting, and motivating to others. We are here to embody what we want. While we may not ace it 100% of the time, as we are all fallible humans, with a bit of grace and bravery in holding boundaries that protect and ensure the longevity of relationships, we will be creating culture.
Let’s continue to focus on our shared goals, support each other’s businesses, and build the vibrant, awakened community we all aspire to be a part of. Together, we can make a difference. And part of that is to promise to protect the group – and holding boundaries, speaking up when you want to protect the purpose of the meetings. We are here to focus on growing each other’s business.
