The room was always filled beyond capacity. Anyone in the organization that the boss had even casually met was invited, and by invited I mean required to attend. The meeting had an agenda but it was pretty loose and he didn't really follow it anyway. Each topic was covered in minute detail and the only way to be truly prepared was No-Doze and luck. This meeting happened the same way every week. We never knew how long it would take and so we just marked off the whole afternoon.
It was a continuous and painful lesson in how not to conduct meetings. The boss fell victim to a couple of common mistakes leaders make. First, he was way too impressed with himself and the meetings were a way for him to let everyone know how important and smart he was. It didn't work. In fact, when a leader uses meetings in this way they tend to have the opposite effect.
Second, he seemed to be pathologically unable to stick to an agenda. He would wonder from one topic to another and at even the slightest suggestion would trot off to some topic that had nothing to do with anything.
Meetings have become the bane of corporate existence. Lately there have been numerous suggestions for sometimes radical ways to solve the meeting problem. They range from not having meetings at all to everyone bring their own agenda. There's no need for drastic measures though. As the veteran of more meetings than I can count; some good, some bad, I've found these five simple steps make meetings more productive and less onerous.
1. Have an agenda. Make it clear what needs to be accomplished and who needs to attend. Plan the agenda for the amount of time available. Don't plan for 15 topics when you know there will only be time for 5. Make sure everyone who needs to attend has the agenda ahead of time. I mean more than 30 minutes ahead of time.
2. Prepare the room. Are there enough chairs? Are visual aids ready and operational? How will you arrange seating? This should be done before the meeting start time so you can,
3. Start on time and end on time. Remember, everyone else's time is valuable just like yours. They all have something else to do to.
4. Stick to the agenda. It's your roadmap to success.
5. Publish timely minutes. Minutes that are published a month after the meeting are not very useful. A short review of the meeting helps everyone remember what was discussed and who had assignments from that discussion.
Meetings are a necessary tool for leaders. It might even surprise you to know that people don't mind attending meetings that are productive. How do they feel about your meetings?
Leading for Dollar$!
Excerpts from the introductory leadership course that will develop energized leaders, engaged employees, and more profits.
Working With Teams
There are very few times in your leadership role in which you will not be involved in a team of some sort. In fact, the best way to approach your leadership responsibility is to think of yourself as leading a team. As a leader you may be responsible for the team, but it will be the team that makes you successful.
Teams are made up of individuals, each having his or her own motivations, likes, dislikes, ideas, and personal issues. That is what makes teams so effective. Synergy, meaning the whole is greater than the sum of its parts, accurately describes effective teamwork. Your team is a powerful asset.
What teams are you a part of?
What teams do you lead?
So, how do you lead teams? First, you must recognize that everyone on the team is an individual who may or may not have the same motivation you do. So, it is important to make sure everyone is moving toward the same goal. Every team, whether short-term or long-term, must have a common focus; a mission. As the leader, it's your responsibility to set that mission and make sure everyone understands it.
Next, the team must have a series of goals. There may be as few as one or two goals and they may be given to you by your boss.
Does your team understand the mission and common goal?
Third, you must establish an atmosphere of mutual respect from the very beginning. Team members don't have to like each other, though that is certainly helpful, but they do have to be able to work together. You set the stage by treating each member in a courteous, professional manner.
Any time you bring individuals together as a team, you will have conflict. If you follow the steps above, you will be more likely to keep the conflict to a minimum, but you won't avoid it entirely. Understand that conflict is not all bad. There is an old saying that if two people always agree, one of them isn't necessary. Conflict in teams is what challenges ideas and develops better solutions. You cannot, and should not, try to avoid all conflict. Instead, strive for constructive conflict which wrestles with ideas, not personalities.
As the leader, it's your responsibility to recognize conflict and work to prevent it from becoming personal. Here are some signs of potential problems in a team.
1. The team member who is constantly overbearing. This person can poison the team as other members quickly become weary of the overbearing attitude and quit working. Make sure you give everyone a chance to express their thoughts and stop the overbearing member from assaulting their ideas.
2. The team member who is shy and retiring. This may be a result of a perceived personal attack or may just be the individual's personality. Either way, you must work to overcome it so the person will be a contributing part of the team. Make it a point to draw them out by asking questions and seeking their opinion. Give them a chance to win, then recognize them. Don't overdo it though. A truly shy person doesn't respond well to a lot of public attention. You may need to work with them one-on-one at first.
3. The team member who is uncharacteristically quiet. This is a big red flag. The person who is normally a significant contributor but has become unusually reserved is signaling a big problem with either the team or themselves. Talk to them one-on-one and determine if the problem lies in the team or the individual themselves.
Briefly describe a situation where you've seen unhealthy conflict in a team.
If you determine there is unhealthy conflict within your team, you must deal with it immediately. Sometimes it helps to just review the team's mission and goals and get everyone refocused. The problem may be caused by one individual on the team though. Your first approach should be to sit down with that person and talk about the team. Tell the person that you see a problem and you need their help solving it. In most cases, that will be enough. If it isn't, you will have to take a more directive approach. Remember that the team has goals to achieve and you cannot allow one person to jeopardize that.
What did the team leader (or you) do to resolve the issue?
