Take the Temperature

Taking the temperature in a situation is about better understanding where the heat is high (conflict, pain, a lot of disequilibrium) or low (where people are bored or checked out). All of these signal the need for leadership.

Questions to Ask Yourself

• What’s the temperature in the situation? Is it high? Too low?
• How do you know?
• Where is there conflict?
• Where is the pain or urgency?
• Who’s working hard to maintain the current temperature? What’s that about?
• How are other people feeling?
• Who is behaving badly? What problem are they trying to solve by behaving badly?
• What values are in conflict?
• How is that conflict showing up
• Who has a stake in maintaining the status quo?