Who goes to the meeting

It was one of those moments that happens in every team. We had one spot for a cross-departmental meeting, and three people who were equally qualified and interested. I could feel the weight of the decision before I even opened my mouth.

The quiet before the choice

I laid out the situation, trying to keep my voice as neutral as possible. I saw three pairs of eyes watching me, each person trying to read my expression for a hint. There was a long pause after I finished speaking, the kind where you can hear the hum of the air conditioner.Suggesting we take turns or rotate felt like kicking the can down the road. And trying to pick someone myself felt like choosing a favorite, which was the last thing I wanted to do. The fairness of it all was what kept me up the night before.

Spinning for an answer

That’s when I remembered the decision wheel we sometimes used for lighter stuff. I pulled it up on the shared screen, a simple circle waiting for names. “What if we let this decide?” I asked, half-expecting it to seem too silly.But there was a collective, almost relieved, nod. We added the three names, and I clicked spin. The whirring sound filled the silence for a few seconds. Everyone was just watching that little pointer go around and around.

When it stopped

It landed. The person whose name came up gave a small, genuine smile. The other two shrugged, but it was a good-natured shrug. The decision was made, and it wasn’t mine.

The air changed

We moved on to the next agenda item almost immediately. The conversation flowed easily again. That specific, prickly tension was completely gone, replaced by the normal rhythm of our meeting.Later, I felt a real sense of relief. It wasn’t about the outcome, but about the process. The team saw the choice as impartial, and that was everything. It’s a small thing, but it kept the trust intact.