Gunfight at the O.K. Corral - 12 Hours to Save the World

Gunfight at the O.K. Corral

Yes....I had an amazing thought this morning as I replayed images from several sessions as an observer of another organization's board meetings over the past year.

Why do board meetings sometimes feel like the gunfight at the O.K. Corral? What are the particular conditions that create the tension, the waiting, the undercurrents, the glancing to see if there is the possibility of an ambush from someone on the sidelines, an unknown action from an unanticipated supporting character, perhaps even someone you took for a supernumerary (one with no lines in a movie) until they unloaded the double barrel shotgun.

Here are a few possibilities from the director to motivate the actors:

• "History" between the lead characters and others involved

• The peccadilloes of the main characters

• Misrepresentation of the facts of each side

• The hero got his job from whom he knew and not what he'd done

• The challenger(s) wanted someone else to have the job

• A bad hair day

• The level of drinking done by any or all of the characters the night before

• A debt owed to someone on the street or in the back room

• Rumors

• What the wife, husband, partner said just before the character left for the saloon

And here are some possibiliites on how the shootout will go down

• Hero forgets to load his gun in the excitement of getting to the corral

• Hero arrives late, as usual, only this time he walks into the full ambush, something he just didn't see coming

• Folks on main street are tired of the whole thing and just step back and watch or don't even show up for the event

• Hero has planned for this possibility and has extra deputies on hand to shout down the hub-bub

• The judge behind the scenes issues an arrest warrant for either the hero(s) or the challenger(s) or everyone

• A thunderstorm or a snow storm forces the show-down to be postponed

• At the last minute, a witness shows up with evidence that it is someone in the other town who has been causing all the rumors and lies and misunderstandings and everyone goes off to ambush the next town

• The hero is wounded and has to retire to recover; if he ever will awaits to be known

• The challenger is wounded and slinks off with his followers to the back of the corral to whisper and plot again

• The challenger proves the hero is the bad guy, runs him out of town, and takes the day

• The hero survives being wounded because he came prepared to have an open dialogue with any and all and was able to be both apologetic for any misunderstandings and to be strong and "leader-like" to the crowd; i.e. came with proof, with a plan, and with all the spreadsheets and secrets laid out in full disclosure AND with a mighty set of friends.

Well, we want to all choose the last bullet. But if we're not sure how we're going to actually get out of the predicatment of the O.K. Corral, we need help to keep our jobs and keep our town alive and in-tact.

You did want to be the hero, didn't you? Why else would you take on the job of leading?!!!!!