GALT Consulting LLC

I recently presented a 3-hour workshop on leadership at a University, and I asked the class if they liked meetings.  The universal response was a quick "no!".  Just as quickly I responded, "then you aren't doing them right".

Meetings are a funny beast because people tend to tolerate them and accept really bad ones.  The truth is that meetings are an opportunity to pull together a team of people to do things that individuals can't do themselves.  Meetings should be energizing...  exciting...  fun!

Here are 3 ways to transform your meetings...

1) Don't avoid conflict.  This is the main output of the popular business book "Death by Meetings".  It is often a mistake of people who run meetings to make sure the meetings are harmonious exercises of love and acceptance.  Boring!  Instead, let the passions and individuality of your team shine through... just do it in a respectful way for a common purpose.

2) Introduce the elephants.  If you are going to bother meeting on a topic, you might as well discuss it, right?  Many times meetings are brutal because the "real" topic is avoided altogether.  A common symptom of this problem is when "after-meetings" are common where people discuss quietly in the backroom what they are "really thinking". 

3) Find a common language.  There is a lot of baggage around the language that people use.  The thoughts and meaning behind simple words like "leadership" or "management" are complex and different for different people.  For example, holding a meeting on how to "improve the company" is a potential waste of time.  Some will think of "improving the company" as making it a better place to work while others will think of the balance sheet.  Make sure you are playing by the same rules before you start the game.

Meetings can be energizing.  If your meetings aren't, you are doing something wrong!