Meetings are one of the most misunderstood aspects of leadership. So many people literally HATE meetings. The phrases “Death By Meeting” and “Bored (as opposed to Board) Meeting” did not happen by accident. Smart leaders know this is a mistake. But leaders must become proficient at leading great meetings.
Meetings validate your leadership.
It is during meetings where you cast vision, invest in the team you hired, mobilize resources, hold others accountable, provide direction, and build culture.
In the latest edition of the Pursuit of Service podcast which I have the privilege of co-hosting with Jeff Wright, I tackle the issue of meetings. During our robust conversation, I outline the following 10 Steps Leaders Need To Take To Have GREAT Meetings.
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- Have a regular meeting rhythm. Your meetings should happen on a regular schedule and with a defined purpose.
- Have a “meeting before the meeting” with your key stakeholders. You can’t leapfrog leaders. Make them insiders and get their thoughts on what will be discussed. Proactively engaging your stakeholders will help prevent you from being blind-sided during the meeting while simultaneously raising up “cause-champions” who will help increase the efficiency of the meeting. Also, if your meeting-before-the-meeting does not go well, don’t have the meeting.
- Send the agenda to the attendees ahead of time. The difference between ordinary and extraordinary is just a little extra. An advanced agenda is something a little extra which provides extraordinary results. This frames the meeting, sets expectations, allows the attendees a chance to prepare, and dramatically increases the meeting’s chance of success.
- Invite the right people. Don’t have to invite everyone to every meeting. Simply invite those directly affected by the items discussed. If someone can’t add value while in the room, they don’t need to be in the room.
- Start on time. Time is a leader’s most valuable asset because if lost, it cannot be replaced. To arrive at a meeting late is the most disrespectful thing a person can do because it communicates their time is more important than those who are forced to wait on them.
- Stay on track. Let the agenda do its work. Don’t allow the meeting to be hijacked by personal agendas or ambushed by hyperbolic statements and controversial items. Be disciplined.
- Make decisions only on agenda items. When people introduce items without the process of preparation, make them study items for the following meeting. You can make decisions on those topics then. Once again, be disciplined.
- End on time. You want the attendees to respect your time on the front-end. Therefore, you need to respect their time on the backend. Your team is made up of talented people with busy schedules. Respect their time.
- Recap email. Another ordinary item which causes extraordinary results. A recap email provides clarity, creates opportunities for accountability, and helps all involved remember what could be forgotten.
- Post-Meeting Coaching – Not everyone has their finest moments in meetings. Mistakes happen. Regrettable statements are made. Some are not as prepared as they should be. By following up afterwards and telling the person how important they are (point #4), how much their thoughts are needed, and where they can improve, you make them a better leader and ensure the next meeting will be a success.
I unpack each of these 10 steps in greater details during the podcast. Click HERE or on the image below to listen and then tell me one thing you can do to make your meetings more effective.