Cultural Anthropologist, Dr. Margaret Mead, is attributed with saying, “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has.” For years, I facilitated Energy for Performance® at a large pharmaceutical company and we closed with that quote. We aimed to inspire and emphasize the impact a small group of participants (in a sea of over 100,000 employees) could make on their team culture.

Today, in a vastly different experience, I was reminded of Dr. Mead’s quote. I facilitated a training for a client and there was only one participant … well, one plus my client contact. Both of them were a couple minutes late in joining which left me second guessing if I was in the right meeting room; this induced a mini panic attack which abated as soon as someONE joined.

“1 Attendee” showed up in the participant drop down. The person confirmed, via the chat, that he could both see and hear me. ” Shwew!

Onward.

I was asked to record the session meaning lines were muted to protect anonymity. It was a bit like paying ping-pong engaging the one person via chat while also recording for folks to view at a later time. It was also a wee bit intimidating knowing my client was on. So, I decided to take a coaching approach and treat that one person as if they were a conduit to one hundred others. Who knows, they may have been.

While one person doesn’t constitute a “thoughtful committed group,” for all I know, this one person could lead a team, which constitutes a thoughtful committed group. And, each member of his/her team could lead a team, and so on. Training creates a positive ripple effect, we hope. Maybe the one person that showed up was an individual contributor and there will be no ripple on the pond. Doesn’t matter. A single participant matters and isn’t to be diminished; he showed up.

Ghandi said, “Be the change you want to see in the world.” I always say a little prayer before I facilitate; this time, I also summoned Ghandi.

I reflected that, sometimes, I’m the “n of one.” In those instances, I especially appreciate another person’s full engagement and not being diminished because I’m an “n of one.” I showed up. That flashed through my brain as I navigated my way through the webinar.

In the end, I finessed it and the client was pleased and wants me back. Yay! Moreover, the experience reminded me of and made me grateful for all the friends and family that have showed up and offered support in my life… even though I’m only an “n of one.”