Meetings. Dreaded, eye-roll-inducing meetings. We’ve all been there. Stuck in a room, watching the clock tick by as someone drones on about something seemingly pointless. But hold up! What if I told you meetings don’t have to be this way? What if I told you there’s a secret sauce to turn these snooze-fests into powerhouses of productivity and creativity?
Let’s face it: we’ve all come to accept bad meetings as an unavoidable part of corporate life. But are they just a nuisance? They’re actually a symptom of deeper issues within our organizations. Yup, bad meetings are like the canary in the coal mine, signalling trouble ahead.
But fear not; hope is on the horizon. It’s time to flip the script on meetings and transform them from soul-sucking black holes into vibrant hubs of collaboration and innovation. And guess what? The power to do that lies not in fancy agendas or minute-taking skills but in the hands of us, the leaders.
So, before we dive into the nitty-gritty of how to revolutionize your meetings, let’s get real about why they are awful in the first place. There are two main problems here.
First, Meetings Lack Drama
They’re about as exciting as watching paint dry. But here’s the kicker: drama isn’t always a bad thing. The key to making meetings more engaging — and less boring — lies in the power of conflict. Just ask Hollywood. They’ve mastered the art of keeping audiences hooked by injecting conflict into every scene. Directors and screenwriters learned long ago that movies need conflict to hold the interests of their audiences. Viewers must believe high stakes are on the line and feel the characters’ tension. They realized audiences would lose interest and disengage if they didn’t nurture that conflict — or drama — in the first 10 minutes of a movie.
And guess what? We can do the same. By putting those juicy, controversial topics on the table right from the get-go, we can create the kind of drama that keeps people on the edge of their seats.
Second, Most Meetings are Ineffective
But drama alone won’t cut it. We also need to tackle the second problem: effectiveness. Let’s be real: most meetings leave us scratching our heads and wondering what the point is. That’s because they lack context and purpose. We’re thrown into a mishmash of admin tasks, strategy discussions, and everything in between, with no clear direction in sight.
But there is a simple solution to this mess: clarity. We need to differentiate between different types of meetings and set clear expectations for each. No more trying to cram every conversation into one endless staff meeting. It’s time to embrace the power of variety and have the right kind of meeting for the right kind of conversation.
And here’s the kicker: this new approach might actually mean having more meetings. Crazy, right? But trust me, it’s worth it. By carving out dedicated time for different types of discussions, we can ensure that each meeting is focused, productive, and, dare I say it, enjoyable.
The Four-Pronged Meeting Structure
But wait, I hear you cry, won’t all these meetings eat into our precious time? Ah, my friends, that’s where you’re wrong. Sure, these meetings might take up a chunk of your day, but think of them as an investment in your team’s success. After all, what’s more important than that?
- ‘The Daily Check-in.’ It’s like a mini pow-wow, nothing more than five or 10 minutes tops. The whole point? Keeping everyone on the same page and giving a quick update on what’s happening and coming up.
‘The Tactical Staff.’ Think of it as your classic staff meeting but with a twist. It’s a bit of a balancing act, aiming for about an hour, give or take 20 minutes. The trick? No set agenda. Yup, you heard that right. Instead, it’s all about a quick rundown of each other’s priorities, checking the team’s overall scorecard, and then diving into what really matters. There’s no time for the small fry; we’re all about tackling the big fish – the issues that really move the needle. - ‘The Adhoc Topical’ is where things get juicy. This is where the big dogs come out to play. We’re talking about the long-term stuff, the game-changers. Set aside a good couple of hours because here’s where the real brainstorming happens, the debates flare up, and the best ideas duke it out for supremacy. Each meeting has one or two topics, tops, and we’re all in for the long haul.
- ‘The Quarterly Off-Site Review.’ It’s like a mini getaway for the team, a chance to step back and take a good, hard look at everything from team dynamics to company strategy. These bad boys can last anywhere from a chunk of a day to a full two-day affair, but trust me, they’re worth every minute.
The Meetings Commitment
One key to making this four-pronged meeting structure work is to overcome corporate leaders’ most common objection: “How am I going to get my work done if I’m spending all of my time in meetings?”
There are two ways to answer this.
- First, you’re looking at approximately twenty percent of a leader’s time when you add up all the time meetings require. Ironically, most leaders spend even more time on meetings anyway, particularly if they factor in “sneaker time,” which accounts for the hours spent sending emails, leaving voicemails, and roaming the halls to clarify issues that should have been made clear during a meeting in the first place.
- Second, leaders need to ask themselves a basic question. “What is more important than meetings?” If they say “sales,” “email,” or “product design,” then maybe they should reconsider their roles as leaders and go back to an individual contributor position. If you think about it, a leader who hates meetings is much like a surgeon who hates operating or a conductor who hates concerts. Meetings are what leaders do, and the solution to bad meetings is not the elimination of them but rather the transformation of them into meaningful, engaging and relevant activities.
Changing How We See and Manage Meetings
So, now that we’ve laid the groundwork, how do we transform our meetings from drudgery to delight? Well, my friends, I’m glad you asked.
Here are six tips to get you started:
- Know your purpose. Are you trying to solve a tactical issue, hash out a long-term strategy, or something in between? Ensure everyone knows what’s on the agenda and what’s expected of them.
- Clarify the stakes. Why does this meeting matter? What’s at risk if we don’t get it right? Make sure everyone understands the consequences of a bad meeting and the consequences of bad decisions.
- Hook them from the outset. Don’t waste time beating around the bush. Get straight to the point and make it clear why this meeting matters.
- Set aside enough time. Will you be tempted to end the meeting before achieving a resolution? Don’t rush through discussions just to stick to a schedule. The goal isn’t to end the meeting quickly; it’s to end it with clarity and commitment.
- Provoke conflict. Are your people uncomfortable during meetings? Conflict shouldn’t be personal, but it should be ideologically emotional. Don’t shy away from disagreements. Embrace them. It’s through healthy debate that we find the best solutions.
- Keep the stakes high. Remind everyone why this meeting matters and what’s at stake. It’s not just another hour on the calendar; it’s an opportunity to move the needle and make a difference.
Conclusion:
Transforming meetings from mundane obligations to powerful engines of productivity and innovation requires a fundamental shift in perspective and approach. The first step toward meaningful change is recognizing that bad meetings are symptomatic of deeper organizational issues. By embracing conflict and injecting purpose and clarity into our meetings, we can harness their potential to drive progress and achieve meaningful outcomes.
Implementing a four-pronged meeting structure comprising daily check-ins, tactical staff meetings, ad hoc topical discussions, and quarterly off-site reviews provides a framework for focused and effective collaboration. Overcoming objections to increased meeting time requires recognizing meetings’ essential role in leadership and organizational success.
Leaders must adopt a proactive approach to meeting management to enact lasting change. They must focus on purpose, stakes, engagement, time allocation, conflict, and accountability. By following these six tips, organizations can elevate meetings from drudgery to delight, unlocking their full potential as catalysts for innovation and growth.
Many interesting articles have been written on bad meetings, making the most of your meetings, or changing them to be more effective. Here are a couple from Forbes and Patrick Lencioni.
Please contact us if you’d like to chat about how we can help your leadership team achieve your most important strategic goals in 2024.
As Trusted Advisors in Leadership Development, NexLevel helps leaders cultivate high-performance teams that consistently achieve outstanding results.
We work with leaders who are:
- Looking for impact over training
- Striving to be proactive over reactive
- Committed to a healthy culture over distraction, avoidance, and confusion
