The Dreaded Meeting

Why do you have meetings? Have you heard about meeting marathons that last 3-5 hours, and these were merely routine meetings? How about those that meetings that consume the entire working day, and the evening?

Have you ever felt left out in a meeting? Do you dread attending meetings? If you could change how meetings were run, what would you do differently?

Meetings are, simply, conversations. The question we need to consider is: is the conversation helpful and useful? If it is useless, make it useful. Focus on behaviors that enhance the presence and potential of people in the room.

Short of a crisis – meet when relevant and necessary! Be mindful and considerate about how these face-to-face interactions consume company time and resources. Think about how you can add value to the meeting and to each other. Evaluate what you could improve in term of the team dynamic, environment and ambience. Humans are sensitive to their surroundings, so how do you lead with positive and meaningful energy. How do you reduce doubt, worry and anxiety? How can you inject and create a pleasant experience?

Leadership Lessons: Think thoroughly about how you would design your next meeting. Have an agenda. Have a sense of purpose. Have people leave your meeting feeling bigger, bolder and brighter.