From the Secretary’s Desk – February 28, 2024
It’s happened plenty of times. I set my stuff down and hear a voice in the kitchen.
“Amy, come in here a minute.”
It’s time for a kitchen talk. It could literally be about anything.
“Did you update that event?”
“Did you answer that email?”
“What do you think about…?”
But those are the ones that start with “Hey friend…” that really mean a conversation needs to be had.
The kitchen is where Amelia shines. I have seen her laugh, kiss, dance, scream, sweat, and cry in that kitchen. It is the heart of the CPC. And it’s from that heart that we sometimes get what we call “A Kitchen Talk”.
It’s a calling in, a gentle “you did this wrong”, a moment to course correct. It is a bittersweet moment. Your ego is about to be punctured, but your community is about to love you in the toughest way it knows how – by letting you know you could be doing better. My kitchen talks have been about being insensitive, getting in the way, and someone I brought to the club didn’t act appropriately. All perfectly reasonable, and easily talked out. It’s a chance for me to do better, to be better.
That isn’t to say that Amelia is a dictator – though she sometimes is. If you’re in for a kitchen talk she’s noticed something (or someone brought something to her), she’s sat with her feelings, and probably consulted the board president or a trusted friend. She’s pinpointed what the issue is and what needs to be corrected. You can push back and explain, but ultimately your role is to receive the feelings, take them away, process them, and course correct (or go for round two in the kitchen, I’ve done that too).
Our values aren’t just signs on a wall that makes us feel good, it’s an ethos that we expect the CPC members as a collective to carry forward while in this space. We assume you want to be here to do that work. We also assume that conflict resolution is done better in a place where everyone is comfortable.
Have you had a kitchen talk?