Leaders: it’s our job to set the atmosphere.  That goes for department heads who are running meetings, parents who are cultivating households…anyone who leads anything must own this responsibility.
If your home environment is cold and chaotic, warm it up.
If the temperature of your meeting is frigid, reset it.

One of the only weekly meetings I lead recently got stuck.  Same conversations every week, no new conclusions.  My first inclination was frustration with the people in the room: Come on guys, bring me something fresh.

But it’s my meeting.  The atmosphere is my responsibility.  I have access to the thermostat like no one else.
So I started shifting the meeting around:
Where we met changed weekly-someone else’s cramped office one week, my house the next, etc.
How we started the meeting was adjusted to reflect priorities and manage energy.
I added a few new people to the meeting to infuse increased insight.
I even started having a few unhealthy snacks brought in to kick start creativity.
(If you can’t get creativity flowing through Holy Spirit synergy, you’ll have to settle for a sugar high.)

These small shifts started to change the atmosphere-in some ways that were dramatic, and in other more subtle ways.
(We’re about to change that same meeting again, breaking it into two more focused meetings.  We felt the atmosphere getting a little chilly, so it’s time to adjust accordingly.)

Altering the temperature by just a few degrees can radically affect your environment.  And it’s your responsibility.