To Meet or Not to Meet

“My biggest issue with MEetings is that, despite their name, they are rarely about ME.”

~humorthatworks.com

A newly appointed department head walks into their first full department meeting….and no one was there! Oh dear. Meetings have ceased to be funny, informative, engaging or, some would argue, even necessary. One department leader I worked with shared that the employees complained the meetings were a waste of time and spent their early morning hours avoiding him, fearful they would be called into yet another meeting that they felt had nothing to do with them.

I am not a big proponent of meetings for the sake of having a meeting. However, if they are done correctly, they can actually save you a lot of time, make the team more efficient, build trust, add accountability and even grow leaders. Done incorrectly meetings can sabotage your creditability and deflate team morale.

One question you must ask before any meeting, “What’s the purpose of this meeting?” When I ask leaders this question in my on-site training sessions, the answers are always the same. To share information and get on the same page. Both are true, but is that all meetings do? Of course, people start adding topics like safety, events and upcoming schedules which leads to longer meetings using precious time. But NOT having a meeting can be just as time consuming. One manager told me she emailed various people 3 times a day just to get the information she needed to do her job because they don’t have regular meetings.

If meetings are one-way communications, you to them, you run the risk of not connecting (communicating effectively) with your team. Here are 5 simple steps I use to run an effective meeting that people want to attend.

1. Have a plan and especially a carefully written agenda. Ask for items from others to go on the agenda 2-days before the meeting, then stick to it. Any side issues, table and circle back to them later.
2. Plan to talk less by involving others in the meeting. Let people know before the meeting what you expect them to do and how much time they have to do it. Maybe you ask someone to give a brief update or have someone introduce a new idea for saving time or money. But make it short.
3. Having others talk more serves a dual purpose of growing their communication skills. Train yourself out of leading your meetings.
4. The above is best achieved by focusing on setting others up for success. I usually ask them to speak about something related to our industry like having a plant identification minute. This helps whoever teaches it learn the plant and they become the expert. Always show appreciation after their part is over.
5. Speak last and discuss who is leading the next meeting.

“A manager’s ability to turn meetings into a thinking environment is probably an organization’s greatest asset.”

~Nancy Kline, Author

Let me know your best meeting tip.

Keep cultivating greatness!

Jeff