Meetings are rarely looked upon favorably by employees and managers alike, as most consider them to be an unproductive and useless part of their week. But when managed well, a meeting can become one of the most reliable and efficient tools you have to lead your team to achieve both short- and long-term goals.
"If you had to identify, in one word, the reason why the human race has not achieved, and never will achieve, its full potential, that word would be 'meetings,'" Pulitzer Prize-winning humorist Dave Barry exhorts. Many employees would be inclined to agree with him, thinking meetings are nothing more than unproductive filler to an already over-scheduled work day. However, a regularly held, agenda-driven meeting can be one of your most valuable resources as a leader in helping set the framework and priorities for your team's upcoming day or week.
Former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani made the morning meeting a vital tool in successfully leading his administration, which included the challenge of guiding his city through one of its most difficult times. "When I became mayor, I realized that the job could overwhelm me. Without a system for processing the day's challenges, the sheer number of issues needing my attention could easily have dictated the agenda. The main purpose of the morning meeting was to get control of the day and prevent that from happening," he explains.
The challenge, though, is getting those you are leading together without them thinking "meet" is a four-letter word. Doing so requires incorporating certain elements into a meeting each time, as well as making the most of the time you have with your team.
Let your employees know what to expect with each meeting. While impromptu gatherings will be necessary from time to time, hold your regular team meetings at the same time with a familiar agenda on each occasion. This will give them a sense of purpose coming and going into each one, let them know ahead of time what will be discussed, and allow for adequate preparation. It will also prevent your meeting from veering off course into unproductive territory.
"The morning meeting was the core of my approach to managing. It served numerous purposes—decision-making, communicating, even socializing—but most of all it kept me accountable. The morning meeting was where the chief executive was responsible, and could hold everybody else responsible," Giuliani states.
Holding meetings at the beginning of the day or week allows you to examine what challenges immediately lay ahead and to set team goals (including yourself) for overcoming them. Subsequent meetings should be used for reviewing the past week, holding each other accountable and lauding achievements.
The problem most people have with meetings is their thinking of them as pointless and a colossal waste of time. Meetings are intended for sharing and receiving information that is useful to the entire group. Allowing each department or team member the opportunity to speak creates synergy among your company, and facilitates the communication of issues of which others may not be aware.
As the leader, consider incorporating occasional industry updates or innovations that may be useful to your team. Above all, set a time limit and facilitate the discussion with precision to prevent long-winded digressions and keep things moving.
An ancient proverb states that, "Plans fail for lack of counsel, but with many advisers they succeed." Get in the habit of requesting your team's feedback when making decisions. If participants feel they are contributing to the direction of your organization, they will view meetings as an opportunity and a valuable part of their day. You will also likely develop additional success as a leader.
"Leaders must invoke an alchemy of great vision," former U.S. Secretary of State Henry Kissinger once stated. The vision you have for your organization must always be at the forefront of everything you communicate and do. Make reminding your team of the vision a priority for each regular meeting you hold by incorporating it into your weekly goals, considering it in reviewing upcoming challenges, and anchoring it to the daily decisions that must be made by every employee.
Without a constant connection to your vision, your team can easily become detached from it. As former U.S. Senate Chaplain Peter Marshall once cautioned, "Give to us clear vision that we may know where to stand and what to stand for—because unless we stand for something, we shall fall for anything."
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