The Lump of Coal.

Most meetings are like the boss pulling out a lump of coal.

Shifting it from hand to hand.

‘I’ve got this lump of coal,’ the boss says.

Maybe tossing it back and forth between one or two favoured sets of hands.

Back and forth.

Juggle for a bit.

Maybe one of the favoured tosses it to less favoured hands - just to show they can.

Pass, juggle, pass.

Meeting ends.

One or two rise and wonder how they will power the furnaces of creativity without that lump of coal.

One laments that the lump will never become a diamond.