Three Things Every Leader Should Do in a Meeting
I previously discussed the importance of Scaling Your Leadership. Based on the feedback from that post,
I wanted to take a deeper dive on the subject and explore how leaders can make
the most effective use of meetings.Benjamin Franklin famously said, “The only things certain in life are death and taxes.” If Franklin were alive today, he would probably add “meetings” to that list. Meetings are a permanent fixture on all of our schedules, ever present and in many cases unavoidable. Instead of viewing meetings as an expense, think of them as an investment. I find effective leaders view meetings as an opportunity to advance the outcome, while strengthening themselves and the teams they lead.
Here are three things I strive to achieve when meeting with teams:
Advancing the Initiative
I view meetings as my opportunity to work for the team. I begin every meeting with the question, “This will be a good meeting if…” and ask the team to complete the sentence. I do this even if I have called the meeting in order to test for understanding of the desired outcome. As a leader, my role is to arrive prepared on the subject and to engage as an active listener to better understand the areas that aren’t clear. A second question I often ask is, “Where is the team struggling or has the least amount of confidence?” This helps focus the conversation on the areas that matter most to them. Finally, I recap agreed upon next steps and ask, “Where can I be most helpful?” so that the meeting ends with a collective plan to advance the initiative.
Principles-Based Coaching
Just as important as advancing the initiative is strengthening the ability of the team to navigate the uncertainty they will likely encounter as they move forward. Coaches can’t take the field with their players, so they strengthen the capability of their teams through the design of plays (or in a business meeting - frameworks and decision principles). In a meeting, I find it helpful to unpack “why” I view a situation a certain way, or come out on a certain side of a decision. This reveals the framework or principles I applied to forming my perspective. These principles can then provide the team with a compass to make their own decisions when the coach is not available or able to assist.
Always Provide an Escape Valve
Following a meeting, it is vital that your team know that your door is always open if they are struggling. Most people don’t want to ask for help. A technique that has helped me over the years is to let the team know that reaching out is a sign of strength, not weakness. One of the philosophies I like to share with my teams is that bad news should always travel faster than good news.
Hopefully, these tips will help you approach your next meeting as an investment. Meetings are a fact of modern life. The key is making the most of them.
Photo: Stephanie Clark, Flickr
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