Make meetings effective
WORK place meetings definitely evoke one common response among employees - defences up! When they happen to be meetings to review performance of a group, progress of a project or achievement of targets, the manager has his hit list of people to be given a blowing and the employees have their own set of rehearsed reasons and alibis. Does this really go anywhere? This genre of meetings does nothing for the employee morale and productivity. Such meetings take care of the issues on the agenda but the results do not percolate beyond the immediate present.
Typically, the boss starts off with questions like, "Why is it not done?" followed by, "who was supposed to do this?" and so on. Then, at meetings organised to discuss any achievement, the focus is on who made it possible and what contributed to its success. It is just that these conversations typically happen at the time when we are celebrating success, which means that we are documenting the reasons for success, but doing nothing to enable its replication.
What if we were to start our conversations with "What is working?" and follow it up with "What specifically makes it work?" Suddenly we have a room full of eager people willing to tell us why, who, what, where and when. This is what is called the 5-step leadership framework. It is based on being `Forward focused'. It shuns `deficit focusing', and emphasises beginning with strengths. The five steps to an effective meeting are:
`What' is working?'
The 1st step allows us to focus on the successes of the team rather than on the failures. Making someone conscious about his or her weaknesses will sap the energy out of the person and will lead to `learned helplessness'. One comes to accept the flaw in one's performance and in stressful moments it will surely tend to show up. Starting with strengths on the other hand will enforce confidence and optimism in the group. The glass is either half full or half empty. The starting point of the framework is half full glass and not the half-empty glass.
What specifically `causes' it to work?
Root cause or cause and effect, call it what you want, the 2nd step allows us to focus on the factors of success. Some of the things we never realised were so important, come out as extremely important for success. Also, this step, by allowing us to understand the reasons for success, makes the success replicable and repeatable.
What do we want to accomplish?
Tally success with your goals. If there are discrepancies, a positively motivated team will point them out itself. It will also be able to analyse what went wrong. This is a proactive stage. It requires the leader to keep his or her cool. It is slightly `non-directive' in nature. Its effects are mostly positive.
What will the benefits be?
How does the organisation stand to benefit from the set targets and the paths adopted? Let this list of potential benefits come forth from each of the members present at the meeting. It helps the team reach a consensus regarding various issues. While stressing on benefits, hurdles are discussed but they seem surmountable.
What can be done more, better or different?
This is by far the most important part of the meeting. How to push each individual, as well as the team, to surpass themselves? Rather than pointing out a flaw and then asking for it to be corrected, one begins with the strengths and looks for improving upon them. This approach gives very little importance to flaws, weaknesses and errors. As a result, one tends to take the initiative on one's own; it's not forced on anyone.
This framework has been found to be extremely useful for almost all kinds of meetings - planning reviews, running meetings, project reviews, problem solving, performance enhancement, conflict resolution, etc. Indeed, it is useful even in personal life where one can use the framework to get out of the rut of blame and ruthless self-criticism and focus on the positive. This way, at the end of every meeting, the employee sees a new beginning.
DEEPSHIKHA MEHTA
faqs@cnkonline.com
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