Many people say they hate meetings for a variety of reasons. Here are a few reasons I have collected over the years.
Meetings:
- are too long,
- are boring and tedious to sit through,
- the agenda is irrelevant to my job,
- discussion is frustrating and divisive,
- there is a lot of talk and no action; or simply,
- there are too many meetings.
Yet, what if I tell you that leading meetings is the most important function that Leaders can do to get Team results?
If you want your Team Members to be motivated and productive, then lead your meetings with sage conversations. Sage conversations begin with a positive mindset and extend in dialogue.
In Team meetings, sage conversations:
- build trust and mutual confidence,
- a clear vision is shared,
- decisions are agreed upon, and
- follow-up and accountability are secured.
Every success starts with a positive mindset. You must embody a positive mindset to guide your Team and sometimes in spite of some Team Members. To maintain a positive mindset, you need to be vigilant about your own inner conversation, thoughts that are free of saboteurs. You know, the saboteur voices that say things like:
- This won’t work!
- There is too much at stake, it is too risky!
- It can only work one way, … my way!
- It’s too challenging, maybe we will try it later.
- That didn’t work, let’s try this or that or something else.
When you keep these nattering negative comments in check, you can focus on what is really important and bring clarity to the vision and goals for the Team.
Next, the effective leadership skills that come into play will carry the meeting to a successful conclusion.
The primary purpose of any meeting is to engage in conversation. Conversation (Dialogue) is the process used to gain a shared understanding and accountability for a course of action. Make sage conversations the predominant style of dialogue and people will feel heard, understood, and appreciated, the basis of trust. To do so you must:
- Ask questions about which you have not already formed an opinion.
- Listen with the intent to connect, not judge, or reject.
- Seek meaning and don’t make assumptions, based on your understanding of the words or phrases used by others.
- Practice conversational agility by reframing, redirecting, or refocusing conversation that becomes stuck in nay saying patterns.
With sage conversations, you can turn your disgruntled meeting attenders into eager participants and achieve uncommon success as a Leader.
If you can facilitate a Team Meeting in an hour and get information shared and decisions made, I want to hear from you! Share your talents HERE
When you are ready to focus, engage, and get results, contact us to master your mental fitness and communications with your Team Members, Colleagues, and Senior Management.
Positive Mindset + Leadership Skillset