Did you have a big meeting last week? Or given it was August, were the usual big meetings cancelled until September? Did you sigh a slight sigh of relief?
Whether you chair the meetings or participate, meetings can either enable leadership teams to productively and collectively drive forward their agenda or be the most expensive waste of time for all concerned! Which are yours? This may seem like a tactical question, but it can be an insight into whether you are being as considered and impactful as you can be as a leader, or if you are coasting!
I started out my career as a timid chair, battling imposter syndrome but over time practiced the art and the following are the simple but top tips I wish I had known earlier:
- Agenda: Ensure a clear agenda agreed, with the right amount of time allocated to each item. Items should ideally be for decision, not just discussion.
- Contract: Start the meeting by outlining how you intend to run the meeting, signalling that you may need to interrupt to stay on time.
- Welcome: Be a welcoming face to attendees/presenters – we all have felt the fear of presenting to senior meetings, much better to help presenters do their best!
- Control: Project confidence and you will feel confident! Control the meeting, ensuring it stays on topic, stays on time and is inclusive – everyone gets to have their say.
- One voice: Encourage maximum challenge on the topic in the room and then remind attendees of the importance of maximum alignment on leaving the room.
- Summarise: At the end of each item summarise what you have heard, this helps the note taker and minimises the risk of people leaving the room with a different interpretation.
With that in mind, take time to think:
- How inclusive are your meetings? How do you know?
- Do you leave meetings feeling glad it’s finished or energised by the progress made?
- What conscious effort do you put in to ensure your meetings are as productive as possible?
- What one thing can you do differently to make your meetings better?
As leaders, we can show our people that we are role modelling the changes that all of us want to see. Let’s be better and be the change – contact [email protected] if you would like help to do so.
For more articles, encouraging you to think and be the change – visit here.