Culture

Clear the Room: I Need Five Minutes



I’ve been watching Nashville again. I started because of Hayden’s death and that deserves its own post, but while watching, I discovered something else. Yhe power of asking everyone to leave the room.

It happens constantly on this show. Usually someone important or at least someone who has decided they are important, looks around and says, “Can everyone give us five minutes?” Or, “I need a minute.” And magically, everyone gets up and leaves. No questions. No awkward, “But I was in the middle of saying something.” Just poof! Privacy.

Sometimes the character needs to cry. Sometimes they need to collect themselves. Sometimes they need to have a deeply emotional heart-to-heart. Sometimes they need to deliver a brutal truth without an audience.

And honestly? I’m intrigued.

Should I start doing this? I can imagine a difficult meeting where everyone gets tense and I calmly say, “Everyone out. Give me five minutes.” Then I stare thoughtfully into the middle distance while everyone respectfully exits.

Is this leadership? Emotional regulation? Healthy boundaries?

Or is it just something television divas get away with?

Either way, I’m considering adding “clear the room” to my leadership toolkit.

Five minutes. No questions. Nashville has spoken.

3 replies »

  1. Gravitas True Gravitas Creates
    That Gravity in Many Colors

    True Dear Miriam

    For the CEO

    Respected as
    Servant Leader
    Who Lifts the Room Up

    Much More than Tearing it down
    Needs a Moment the Room is
    Surely To Clear Out of Respect for

    What is
    Considered
    A Real Boss

    And then there is the
    World of Art Sure the
    Meme of ‘Dolly’ Seems
    Present as even Nature
    Respecting Her with a Tropical
    Storm with that Name Today

    It Just
    happened
    Hehe what
    Will i Dance Sing
    Even Synchronicity
    Respects Dolly Today

    (My Aunt Lala passed
    Away 2 Weeks ago as
    Lala was Barreling
    Through Hawaii
    Yet of course i digress)

    Yet this Is How You Really
    Create Gravitas for Decades to come

    When Porter Wagner doesn’t wanna
    See You Break the Contract for the TV Show

    And When You Can’t find the Words Face to Face
    to

    Negotiate

    Just a take
    A Moment of
    Your Own Go Home

    And Create a Song
    Called “i Will Always Love You”
    And When You Present it to Porter He’ll

    Only Cry and Let You Go as Long

    of course
    as You

    Allow him
    to Produce
    the Song Thereby

    Insuring Generations
    of Your Family

    Will Live

    off the
    successful
    Negotiation You Create

    Nope You can’t always
    Judge someone from
    the Color of their Wig

    It’s what’s Underneath that
    Creates

    a
    New
    Day for Real

    Hey i bet She could
    even make folks forget
    the Most vilified Human
    Being in Today’s World

    For A
    Week

    After
    She
    Goes away

    Yep that’s Real Gravitas
    Just give me a Moment
    Resting in Peace and i’ll

    Change the entire World
    From Orange to a Truer Color of Blonde..:)

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