Most Meetings

A reasonable question is how does a leader deal with a something missing situation in a meeting. The answer is by not dealing with it at all, but rather setting a stage of thinking and a set of beliefs that make this bickering absolutely out of place.
be well,
Dwika-ExecuTrain



Something Is Missing From Most Meetings!
by: Steven Cerri
(10 minute read)

I want to talk to you about meetings.

People often complain about meetings. "Too many meetings." "Out meetings don't accomplish anything." "I don't understand why I have to attend these meetings?"

The interesting thing is that the people who often complain about meetings are the attendees. Seldom do we hear the people who convene the meetings being the people who complain about meetings.

So right here I want to talk to the people who convene meetings. This means everyone up and down the chain from the CEO to the floor supervisor. If you convene meetings ever, this is for you!

First, I'm not going to talk about how to make meetings efficient. While I have my own process which makes meetings efficient, there a plenty of models out there that you can learn that, IF YOU FOLLOW THEM, will make your meetings efficient and effective.

Here I want to talk to you about some that very few people use meetings for. It's the very seldom used key, not to effective meetings, but to effective management.

You see, meetings often have a management component to them. The person who is calling the meeting is often attempting to "manage something". But 99% of the time they miss an opportunity that would make management easier and more effective. And here it is.

Most managers do not use the meeting to reinforce the behaviors, the beliefs, the values, and the focus of attention they want people to display. Most meeting managers focus on the "problems" but they miss the opportunity to reinforce what they want.

For example. Say you are having a meeting and Susan has delivered a product to another department on time and on schedule. Most managers would probably praise Susan for delivering the product on time and on schedule, or they should. But suppose Susan delivered that product to a department that has a reputation for being difficult to deal with. Suppose Susan spent some time establishing a smooth relationship, perhaps the only smooth relationship in existence with that department, and no one really paid much attention to that fact, but the manager knows that is did occur. This is a perfect opportunity for the manager to say something like: "I want to point out something that might go unnoticed. Department X has a reputation for being difficult to work with. You all know that. However, Susan spent some time up front building a relationship with person Y in that department and when she delivered the product the acceptance process went very smoothly. In fact, got a phone call from that department's manager telling me how effective Susan was in the process. Now this is a behavior and a philosophy I want us to display. I think it is really important that we establish positive working relationships with other departments, even those that, at first glance, we wouldn't want to. Susan has set the kind of example that I want all of us to aspire to. To be able to build positive working bridges between ourselves and others in this company."

Notice, this message is telling the team not just how to behave but also how to view the world, how to think about the world. Many managers and meeting leaders focus on problem solving, and at most, focus on the behaviors they want by praising those behaviors they want more of. However, action is the result of thoughts, beliefs, and a focus of attention on specific aspects of the world. Therefore, an important component of meetings is often missed when the leader fails to talk about the beliefs, values, attitudes, relationships, and view of the world that he or she wants the meeting participants to display.

Here is an example. Many engineers fight for their ideas. They fight to be right. Therefore, it's not uncommon for a meeting filled with engineers and technologists to degenerate into nit-picking over technical issues. One person defending some arcane position while another discounts it and postulates his or her own. A reasonable question is how does a meeting leader deal with a situation like this.

The answer is by not dealing with it at all, but rather setting a stage of thinking and a set of beliefs that make this bickering absolutely out of place. The way I did it is that if I had an inkling that because I had a room filled with technical professionals and engineers I might have a nit-picking session I would start the meeting off with the following statement. "All right, as you can see we have a variety of technologies represented at this meeting and the goal today is to come up with some ideas and maybe the best idea as a solution to our current situation. My philosophy is that our goal is to put all the ideas on the table. You may have the idea and once it's one the table, it no longer your idea, the idea now belongs to the group. And as we work with each idea my position is that the best idea will actually become evident to all of us. Once the idea is on the table there is no need to defend it. It stands or falls on it's own merit and as we add to it and take away from it, by the end of the day, it should be evident to all of us that one idea stands out as the best, the most efficient, whatever the important parameters are, one or maybe two will be at the top of everybody's list. That is what I want us to accomplish today at this meeting."

With that introduction the stage is set for a good, honest, intense exchange, without personal ownership of any single idea taking over the meeting.

Be well,