Meetings that Inspire Vibrancy and Vitality
Image source
I’ve led more than a thousand leadership meetings. I’ve left many feeling lousy. But, Friday, I left a leadership meeting feeling great.
I still had a list of things I could have done differently. I’m always tweaking my performance. But I felt revitalized.
After Friday’s meeting, I received a text that began, “Thanks for an energizing meeting! …”
People in the meeting have:
- Trust. Without trust teams spend most of their time in protection mode.
- Respect. We know and accept each other’s strengths and weaknesses, even as we work to bring out each other’s best.
- Loyalty. We stand shoulder to shoulder working for the best of our organization. There’s no gamesmanship.
- Honesty, candor, and transparency. We’re learning to say what we really think, not what we’re supposed to think. Trust, respect, and loyalty enable honesty, candor, and transparency.
- Friendship.
- Vitality.
- Initiative. We’re in it up to our elbows. It’s a small team. There’s no room for drifters.
4 ways to energize meetings:
Spend more time on opportunities and less on problems. Problems are magnetic. In the past, we focused on solving problems. No wonder I left meetings feeling drained.
Concentrate on where you’re going. Momentum never builds until everyone knows where you’re going and you take steps to get there.
Celebrate wins that reinforce values. One of our values is relationship. At the beginning of the meeting, I acknowledged and affirmed a new leader who acts like he belongs. Established relationships make new leaders feel like outsiders. At a recent social event, it was great seeing “the new guy” act like an insider.
Create action items for everyone in the room. Ask, “Who’s doing what by when?” Meetings without action items are wasted time. Send a memo. Momentum requires forward focused action.
What transforms meetings from drainers to energizers?
Connected whys. Just calling a spade a spade.
Happy for you you had a pleasurable experience.
Have a good one, keep connecting those whys.
SP back to the present
What transforms meetings from drainers to energizers?
What I think transforms meetings, Dan, is preparation and focus. And it’s more than just having a written agenda and sticking to it, which is of corse important. But it is the heart of the meeting. What’s the vino? Where are we going? Why are we going there and what will be different for us and those we serve when we arrive?
And vibrant input from everyone involved in how you plan to get there. There must be excitement and buyin which ave to be cultivated and nourished. If the leader is lackluster about the vision/ meeting, you can only expect the same behavior from everyone else.
Love the fact that relationships are a priority for you! Acknowledgment means so much. And right on with maintaining momentum. If we bog down to deal with minor issues or every little problem when we could be focused on connecting opportunities and moving the ball downfield, we might as well punt.
Dear Dan,
In today’s organization people generally practice gamesmanship. And the reason is simple- to protect their interest and show to management that they are only serious about the organizations, nobody else. These kind of people always try to create an impression or perception that they work harder than others. And that is why they are into gamesmanship. This practices is not necessarily played at bottom, but could be on top level as well. It depends upon the top level trends and system followed in the past.
Drainers create complexity in the meetings. They create a big issue even from small issue. They are expert is that. One day, I was sipping tea in the faculty lounge and one faculty started saying that I had three class today, other started saying that I had four. And four is the maximum limit, one can take in a day. Suddenly, one faculty stated saying- so what, I can take even five and six.
Now, the moral of the story is about creating an image or perception of being concerned about the organization or creating an impression that one is more capable than others. Whatever is the case, this kind of symptom, almost every organization has, where people believe in boasting through words and not through action. And the reality is that, these people are perhaps incompetent and find this way to protect their position. And this is the way, how drainers drains energy of deserving people.
Hey Ajay,
Perfect description on non connected whys. Everyone looking out their own window instead of all out of the same window.
These human beings you speak of suffer a spiritual malady. No biggie pretty typical response when waking from a deep sleep.
One thing that helps me is to empathize. Using I and we statements, not you and them. You and them ought to be stricken from the human vernacular!!!!!
There is no you and them!!! We are all Gods kids!!! Same team!!! Wake up!!!!! Lol
Also to understand to be Human and understanding as people wake up that trying to overcompensate with ego won’t solve the spiritual malady. Try as we might, never gonna work!
Everyone as backwards as it looks at times is doing the best at that moment they can based on the conversation they are having in their own head.
Maybe when I know better I will do better. Yeah that is the ticket….making copies !!!!! Hehe
Just for me work to understand the sleepy as I watch how they respond to the fear they are perceiving. They are either afraid of losing what they feel they need or not getting what they feel they need. Treat them like a Loving understanding parent instead of a judgementmental, problem pointing terd.
People acting foolishly are scared, not buy into their drama. Respond like a grown up to childish delusions I always say!! Do I always say that? Man that is pretty good think I will repeat that one over and over!!!! Hehe
Just how I sees it and how I roll down the road to happy destiny!!
SP back to my present!!!
Yes! Dan, I don’t know how you do it but you frequently seem to anticipate my next “need.” I have been using (and teaching) many of these principles for over twenty years now, but have not seen them articulated so succinctly. I will be including a link to this with my pre-read materials for a key meeting next week. Thank you, thank you, thank you.
Hey Pastor –
Thanks for a great post.
I appreciate it’s positive approach – certainly we need to know what to avoid – but reminders of the goal are refreshing!
Thanks much!
Ted
Regards,
Ted Lee Sadler 810.813.0141 – cell Gateway Group T-H Printing Company
inf W – http://www.tedleesadler.wordpress.com “Happy is he who finds Wisdom – better than fine gold.” – KS
________________________________
Dan, I appreciate your thought about spending more time on opportunities than problems. I can think of several problems facing our team right now that I need to reframe as opportunities. Thanks!
Action is the key word. Define what are the measurable results you are seeking.
I think you should write more about meetings. 99% of the meetings that I have attended are a real pain. I used to travel for a quarterly meeting of the global management team. We’d travel from around the world to attend this meeting, which was a four hour monologue by the global CEO. Then, the meeting would end, and we would all go home.
The real meetings – one on one – would take place the previous evening over drinks. But, there was no discussion of issues, opportunities and yes, problems. Most people would nod their heads in assent to what the CEO would say, focus on their IPads or cell phones, and go back and do what they wanted to do anyway.
Then, we announced that we needed to cut costs. I suggested a quarterly video conference, and was almost shot on the spot!
What a waste!