LEADERS CONDUCT GREAT MEETINGS

Last week I wrote about the importance of leaders planning and running great meetings. Many leaders do focus on conducting excellent meetings. Unfortunately, many of these leaders, especially younger or inexperienced leaders, neglect devoting sufficient time, energy and attention to the planning of meetings – things to focus on before the meeting ever commences.

This week let’s examine what can contribute to an excellent meeting – from the moment the meeting starts to the minute the meeting concludes – and afterwards.

So what principles or strategies should leaders focus on once the meetings start and people have come to the table or the computer screen?

Arrive on Time – or Early: If you are running the meeting, please get there early or on time. During the past year, I have attended meetings where the person running the meeting arrived late. Usually, they have started by apologizing and explaining that they had a computer issue, they were in another meeting that ran long or they got distracted and neglected to hop on their computer sufficiently early. Please don’t let this happen to you. People are watching, and arriving late is a poor reflection on the leader.

Start the Meeting on Time – I have attended many meetings where the leader and attendees arrive on time, but they then spend 5-10 minutes chatting or catching up. It is wonderful to socialize with colleagues at work or on volunteer boards. However, when you call a meeting for a certain time and then proceed to start the meeting five or 10 minutes late, you are sending a message to all attendees. That message is: “Don’t take our start times seriously.” When this occurs, it can become a slippery slope. If people know you have a reputation for not starting on time, they will start not showing up on time.

End the Meeting on Time – or Early- The most precious gift you can give to your meeting participants is time. If you have created an agenda that has the meeting concluding at 11:00 am, end that meeting at 11:00 am – or earlier. If you have not addressed all your agenda items, table some for the next meeting. Sometimes young leaders have complained to me: “But the last two items on our agenda were very important; I couldn’t afford to table them to next week.” The lesson here is: Do NOT put important agenda items at the end of your agenda – make sure they are addressed early in your meetings.

Be Present – Leaders with much on their minds at a meeting sometimes tend to get distracted, to think about a later item on the agenda, to worry about a particular team member or to even look at texts arriving during the meeting. Train yourself to be present and in the moment, however that may work for you – take written notes, give good eye contact, check your posture, or remove physical distractions from around your screen. Whatever practice allows you to remain in the here and now will serve you as the leader and will encourage your teammates to remain present too.

Exercise Active Listening: There are several levels of listening starting with pretend listening and working up to active listening. So many people in meetings are listening with the intent to reply rather than with the intent to understand. They think they “know” the answer, so why listen intently to a colleague? They want to impress their teammates with their brilliant analysis or solution, so they are silently practicing their response while someone else is speaking. They are thinking about all their work to come after the meeting so do not bother really listening.

Please pay attention to what your colleagues are saying. It shows them respect. Avoid interrupting them. That also is a sign of respect. Listen to everyone, especially those with whom you might disagree. If we listen actively with a mindset of curiosity rather than a mindset of “being right,” we can be openminded and influenceable. When we are intentionally curious and willing to listen very carefully, we can evolve our own ideas and opinions – and we can grow.

Ensure Balanced and Full Participation: Leaders must promote an environment in which all attendees feel heard, encouraged to speak and share their ideas. If leaders just want to report on developments and are not interested in hearing from colleagues, then there is really no need for a meeting. Just send out an email!

Guarantee Respectful Communication: Whether stated out loud, in writing or as part of a departmental mission statement, meeting communication must be respectful and professional. This means avoiding personal attacks on anyone else and focusing on the issue being discussed in an additive rather than repetitive manner. As leaders, we can remind everyone to remain on topic and bring the conversation back on track if necessary.

Start and End with Action Items – If you hold regular team meetings, organizational meetings or even one-on-one meetings, a valuable way to start the meeting is to review action items from the prior meeting? This practice helps create accountability – people know it will be addressed at the start of the meeting. By starting this way, leaders create an environment where teammates become accountable to each other, not just to you, their leader, or to their own manager. In the same vein, leaders can end meetings by reviewing action items from that meeting before everyone leaves the room or their computer screens. This ensures that people leave with clear expectations and understandings.

So please devote meaningful time and attention to how you plan and conduct meetings. Doing so will help you show up as a more effective leader!!!

If you believe this content would resonate with a friend or colleague, please feel free to forward it along!

-Larry