I had no authority in the jury room

The judge had instructed us to reach a verdict before we left for the day, and after several hours of deliberation, we were no closer to a resolution. 

Passionate voices rose on both sides, but each built a narrative from their own stories about what might have happened. In the courtroom, neither side proved its case, so people’s imaginations filled in the gaps to reach their favored conclusion. 

Dinner was calling

It would have been easy to go along with one side or another to create a consensus opinion, get out of there, and get some dinner! 

I had reservations about stepping into leadership in that room. I had no position or authority. Disagreeing with the stronger voices in the room might threaten their status and generate pushback, but in that moment I didn’t feel like I could go along. 

So, I slowed everyone down and offered a third option. What if the truth is, we don’t know what happened?

Minimum Viable Influence

To be influential, I stayed connected with those who might be going in a different direction. I also hoped to change minds without getting into a battle of wills. My goal was to use as little influence as possible to shift the group’s direction. 

My observation about the lack of evidence stopped the storytelling, but left everyone feeling empty, like we hadn’t done our jobs. Another juror stepped into that gap; she reviewed what the lawyers actually proved and highlighted all we didn’t know. She helped folks feel better about acquitting the defendant despite our “feeling” that he was likely in the wrong. I didn’t have to prove other people wrong; together, we found a different outcome. 

Her voice helped us reach consensus without me having to “power up” or take control. 

Finding a lighter touch

Think back over the meetings you were in the last week or so: When were you using your influence? Maybe you wanted more urgency than the team showed, or there were gaps in the reasoning in the room.

Where can you leave more room for someone else’s voice to carry your idea forward? How could you maintain momentum with a lighter touch?