20 Tips / Tip 9

Tip 9: Stay on Point

This is the downfall of many small groups. One off-point comment gives way to the next, and before you know it, a discussion about the deity of Christ turns into a debate over which basketball player is the greatest ever. (duh, everyone knows it's Kobe! There is no player in the history of the game that can take over the way he does. And who would you want taking the last shot for your team when the game is on the line? He is the best player on the best team. He is constantly evolving his game and continually makes his team better. Just add him to any team and it immediately becomes a contender. All other teams create their entire game-plan with him in mind, knowing that if you can stop him you have at least a faint chance of winning. But I digress...)

Ever been there? My guess is that you know exactly what I'm talking about.
This is a leadership problem more than it's a participant problem. To avoid it, keep the group focused on the question at hand and follow up tangential comments by bringing the group back to the actual question. Everyone benefits when a leader steers the conversation, and everyone suffers when he or she does not.