What’s your definition of a meeting?
Definitions inform function.
Lousy Meetings
- Bobblehead assembly: Warm bodies gathered to affirm the boss’s brilliance and insult their own.
- Empty head congress: People gathered to receive information.
- Empty hand playground: Tools gathered to receive directions.
- Megaphone council: Lots of talking with little exploration.
- Zombie graveyard: Huddles with no purpose.
- Black hole board: Where bold ideas go to die.
- Hostage situation: Everyone longs to get away so they can do real work.
5 Ways to Redefine Meetings
Meetings are for more than information. The people around the table aren’t empty heads. They’re competent contributors. If they aren’t, replace them or yourself.
5 New Definitions
- A place where team intelligence expands and relationships multiply results.
- A place where leaders maximize others’ talent.
- A place where monologues are banned.
- A place where diverse perspectives test assumptions.
- A place where heads turn toward each other, not the person at the head of the table.
A meeting is a multiplier. Meetings turn individual talent into collective power. When one person does all the talking, it’s a memo surrounded by chairs.
Effective meetings transform…
- Experience into insight.
- Insight into options.
- Options into decisions.
- Decisions into ownership.
- Ownership into results.
New Rules for New Meetings
#1. The person at the head of the table speaks the least. When leaders speak first people tend to agree.
#2. Agenda items begin with “Decide ______.” (Not discuss)
#3. Create constructive dissent. Appoint a devil’s advocate. Assign half the team to present an alternative.
#4. Establish ownership. Who advances the next step?
What’s one thing that would improve meetings?
Resources:
2 Proven Behaviors That Make Dumb Teams Smart
Amy Edmondson, “The Fearless Organization.”
Patrick Lencioni, “The Five Dysfunctions of a Team.”
Evidence for a Collective Intelligence Factor in the Performance of Human Groups
