Next level meetings
The organization I lead is having a “next level” meeting. The leadership team, other key leaders, coordinators, and volunteers are attending a two hour power-packed experience.
Goals of next level meetings
Goal #1: Establish the core calendar of nonnegotiable events and activities in 2011-12.
Goal #2: Identify strategies and program-enhancements that propel individual divisions to the next level and beyond.
Reasons the meeting could fail
#1. We could fail if we compare ourselves with our progress rather than our potential. It’s easy for organizations or individuals to compare their current improved state with the past. It’s comfortable and satisfying. It’s death to exponential progress.
#2. We could fail if we evaluate future strategies and enhancements in light of current resources. Most organizations already maximize their resources. Focusing on current resources chokes out the next level.
Reasons the meeting will succeed
#1. We’ll succeed by bringing the outside in. We’ve set up a video skype call with the leader of a growing organization that is successfully reaching the next level. He’ll share his experiences, offer suggestions, and answer questions.
#2. We’ll succeed by engaging in cross-functional conversations. For example, the media team sharing their perspective on how the guest relations team could leverage media to take their team to the next level.
#3. We’ll succeed because all team leaders will have a meeting before the meeting to prepare and develop strategies that bring out the best idea.
#4. We’ll succeed by leaving the meeting with clearly identified steps that start us down the path to the next level.
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What might cause the next level meeting to fail?
What are the key success factors for a next level meeting?
Great video clip Dan. Good touch to a great blog.
Dan – I really like this post. It’s a productive spin on setting objectives, agenda, and metrics for meetings, looking instead at the internal culture and values that inevitably represent strengths and potential vulnerabilities.
Thanks for sharing this!
Morning Dan, ensuring that all are clear on the purpose and process of the next level meeting would be a positive step for success.
You noted the major inhibitors or recipe for failure…getting stuck in the past or in the ‘yeah, but’ mindset. Probably drilling down to minutia would not be a good thing. Side car dialogues that defocus and derail, even if perceived importance at the time…so formatting for that.
With the solid prep work you might consider coupling a clear set of expectations of engagement (before, during and after).
Clarifying whether or not the next level meeting maintain the levels of organizational hierarchy or evens the playing field (a la Blue Angels debrief process or World Cafe) would be a good prep step too. Process may take longer, however more germination may occur.
That may get into roles a bit which might help too. Who is facilitating/ leading the meeting is important as that role colors the process. External facilitator or internal? Do you have defined roles of devil’s advocate, nit-picker, etc…all with degrees of constraint and clear role.
You have an outside ‘expert’ experience which can invigorate and organizational perspective. Great place to start and get positive regard in gear. In absence of a ‘live’ expert, the prep work around benchmarking across industries might be productive. What are the best practices and how can we meet/exceed/advance them?
One of the more important steps may be the follow up, connecting the dots between that meeting and the expected next steps. Sometimes the harder work as people get back to other aspects of their work.
And of course, you will succeed if people enjoy themselves in the meeting, if there is an element of creativity, re-creativity, and fun. Plan your spontaneity!
What a timely article! I am in the process of preparing a vision-casting meeting for the organization that I lead and needed this information! Thanks Dan for adding value to me and my organization!
What might cause the next level meeting to fail?
What are the key success factors for a next level meeting?
The idea that stuck out of the video for me was (paraphrasing here) to encourage the ideas that are “not vanilla” so that ideas with true “legs” can thrive and not be watered down to something people can “live with” but not fully embrace.
As far as success factors, one factor that should be part of the plan is the follow-up. How many meetings/conferences/workshops, etc. have we all been to that we walked away from totally energized and focused, only to lose sight of that as day-to-day demands intervened? There should be a agreed upon follow up plan to preserve the great ideas and momentum that start at your meeting.
Dear Dan,
Along with the point suggested, I would like to include ownership dimension. Usually meeting is perceived formality byr lower employees and it is considered to meant for top level managment. This perception need to be changed. I have seen, there are few people who usually talk, discuss and debate but there are people who keep quite. It signals that people are only physically present. I believe that this situation arises because talkative supercedes silenced employees. So, somewhere people feel less respected, less recognised. But the fact is that, these employees are more knowledgeable than talkers. So, as an effective leader the focus is to provide opportunity to each and everyone to talk, share and comment his or her ideas, opinions and thoughts. Most of the time meeting starts with no agendas. There are many disconnect in meetings, They are agendas, feedback, implementation, actions, output etc, Usually same agendas carry repeated and it provides strong signal to people that meeting is only a formality, Therefore, meeting should start with work done, output achieved, suggestions implemented and appreciation on feedback. Meeting with less agendas are more focussed. I think repeated agenda, lack of execution, and lack of collective ownership mightt cause the next level meeting to fail. And meeting those agendas in time with healthy feedback, recognition and opportunity for everyone are perhaps the key success factors for a next level meeting. I also believe that agendas ciculated in advances with suggestion might be helpful to make the discussion and debate healthy and relevant.
Dan,
You delivered two “pearls” in this post:
“We could fail if we compare ourselves with our progress rather than our potential. ” and
“We’ll succeed by bringing the outside in.”
Progress vs. potential has power beyond the first read of it. It goes to the issues of survival in a competitive market, motivation for high achievers, and capturing unforeseen possibilities.
Bravo on this post. I love it. Will RT on Twitter for sure.
Kate
Dear Dan,
I love this post for its crisp, effective way message to make the meetings successful. You are right in saying first what can bring the failure of meetings and then showing the right way of organizing fruitful meeiings.
I add the relevance and importance of having a pre-set agenda for any meeting and everyone attending the meeting need to come fully prepared for an active participation and will to contribute keeping organization goals in mind.
Meetings are the medium to keep the team members informed on the progress, celebrate achivements with recognition & appreciation and look for solutions with collective wisdom, and plan for the next level of actions with high spirit and commitment at individual as well as at the team level.